Fullmetal Dimensions
by Blue Lone Wolf 2574
Summary: It's been over three months since the incident in Liore and the creation of the Philosopher's Stone... and the adventure has just begun again as a new terror worse than the Homonculi arises. Rated T to be safe and no pairings... yet... I think
1. Chapter 1: So It Begins Again!

Working hard today people! My fourth fanfic so far and I swear there's no stopping this chick!! After working on my Naruto fic for so long I guess I needed a change to help it along. You can get a **_little_** bored working on the same thing for, like, ever. I hope you guys like it!!

Disclaimer of Ultimate Awesomeness: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters (but I own the older version of Edward though. Mine, all mine.)

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

Chapter 1: So It Begins Again

Everything was going according to a silent routine in Central. After the fall of Fuhrer King Bradley and the Philosopher's Stone incident, things were back to where they'd always been. well, sort of. Edward and Alphonse Elric had gone back to their usual lives, Ed going where he was sent by General Roy Mustang, Al at his heels like the faithful little brother that he was. Winry and Rose stayed in their old hometown of Rizembul (is that how it's spelled? If not I'm sorry. Is that even the right town?), since Rose still needed some time to recover from the Philosopher's Stone incident in Liore. Hawkeye and the rest of the gang had resumed their duties under Mustang, the new order of government under the council making everything run smoother than before King Bradley's constant means of waging war on everybody regardless of any possible discretion that may or may not have existed in the first place. After the disappearance of Dante and the sealing or destruction of the Homunculus, the likelihood of it all happening again was already proving unlikely. Wrath, on the other hand, had yet to show himself in any fashion but was otherwise keeping a low profile and totally avoiding the one reason he was Homunculi in the first place: Ed and Al's teacher Izumi. Of Scar, they had yet to receive word and had yet to make an appearance against state alchemist.

Come to think of it… the two Elric brothers are currently in Central under Mustang's orders to investigate a number of strange happenings that had already occurred under the cover of nightfall. Edward Elric, age 17 to 18, stood tall (actually tall, not pipsqueak tall, natural height people), his blonde hair braided as it usually was over golden eyes and long red jacket. Al, standing close by (in the flesh, not metal), short brown hair as a tail of his own fluttering slightly in the early evening wind, him being the natural height of a teenager 15 to 16 years of age. The two stood on a cobblestone street corner, waiting for a soldier on the scene to explain the goings on of the situation. "Well it seems Mr. Elric that several people have been abducted varying in age and occupation."

"Age and occupation? Explain captain." Mustang barked from where he stood, his temper had been suffering from a fairly short fuse lately and this case wasn't helping.

Startled by the general's angry words, the poor soldier fumbled with the papers, trying to organize himself a little better. "Umm… well sir it seems that the abducted is a arms specialist, a baker, 9 year old child and various others of a mixture of other occupations. Even some soldiers, and possibly alchemists-."

"Alchemists? And soldiers? Who would just randomly pick up a bunch of civilians and then target military personnel?" Mustang said to himself. He'd faced some odd cases in the past before the fall of King Bradley, but not as odd as this one. Turning to look upon his young cohort, he asked, "Any ideas Ed?"

"None yet. Only that whoever's behind this doesn't really have an initial pattern or style of doing things. Whatever this guy's planning is beyond me. If you ask me, I think it's just some psycho nutcase kidnapping people just for the hell of it." The teenager responded with a shrug, a look of deep thought marring his features. Mustang couldn't help but smirk and say, "Uh huh. Well it seems the Elric prodigy is short on brains wouldn't you say? And to think he used to be short in height."

A vein popped onto Ed's head as he glared angrily at his military superior, Al preparing to intervene if things got out of hand. "I'm just as stumped as you on this one asshole and if you make a wisecrack out of _that_, I'll give you a real good reason to get stuck in the hospital." He growled, stabbing an accusing finger in Mustang's direction. Al looked confused, as Mustang's smirk became a thoughtful frown. _Why didn't he explode like he used to? Is he sick or something?_

"Hey Ed, are you okay? You're not acting like yourself." Roy queried, not helping to look concerned at the blonde man. The vein appeared again as he rounded on the man again, causing Al to tense again, sweat dropping despite himself and his position. Ed, on the other hand, stepped a little more into the light, his face more visible in the fading light. Bags under his eyes could be seen in the golden sun, showing the teenager had lately been lacking the needed sleep. "I'm fine thank you but right know my brother and I have work to do." Ed sneered, the anger boiling his blood and giving his tired eyes a nasty glint to them. Roy was taken aback at the boy's actions. Something wasn't right and obviously Al knew nothing about. Everyone knew by heart that Alphonse wasn't one to tell lies and speaking the truth no matter what didn't exactly label him as a tattletale either. Just honest in every aspect of anything he does. Honest Al. one could definitely say he's the new age Honest Abe. The Flame Alchemist scowled in frustration as Ed turned away to speak with other officers, asking questions and getting details, following pointed fingers and looking at drawn layouts of the scene. Roy ignored this annoying banter until something one of the soldiers said came into interest. "Lieutenant!"

Jumping in astonishment to the sudden loud command sent in his immediate direction, the man jumped and saluted nervously at the general. "Uh yes sir?"

"Repeat what you just said just now. What were you and your fellow officer just discussing?" he growled in aggravation, his short fuse growing shorter.

"Uh well you see sir, we were simply discussing what the neighbor had reported to have witnessed some time prior to the actual abduction." The man said, his voice shaky as though trying to stay in character and not loose his nerve. Riza and others gathered to hear the new information, even Ed was stubbornly straining to overhear anything that could give them a particular lead. The man tried to remain calm under pressure of the growing number of people gathering to hear him, with an effort to hold his own he continued. "According to what the neighbors at that house there," he said pointing at the house on the left across the street, "the neighbors' wife has reported to have witnessed the residence's _dog_ acting strangely for the past two days."

"The dog? How the hell is that helpful to the investigation lieutenant?" Roy nearly yelled, threatening to blow a casket should this conversation get anymore pointless and wasteful as he thought it was. "Well you see sir, according to her, the dog had an unusual sneezing fit not three days ago before it disappeared down that street there," the man continued as he pointed again, this time at the street that traveled west, failing to continue as the top of a hill brought it to a halt. At least what could be seen anyway. "and she said that she didn't see the dog until last night around 7: 30 in the evening, just as the sun was going down. She said that it'd been walking strangely, as though it had an unseen wound or some sort of itch it couldn't scratch. It entered the house after it scratched and whined at the door. But it wasn't until close to sometime this morning that she noticed the front door was open and decided to see what would be the reason for it to be open at such an hour. Upon coming onto the scene she searched the house as best she could only to find all but one occupant was absent, the furniture overturned and nearly everything in the house broken."

"And who exactly was the only occupant the moment the neighbor came to investigate?"

"Oddly enough, it was the dog sir." The man said, sounding just as confused as Mustang on the matter. Why would all but the dog still be in the house, the door wide open, and the neighbors never hear or see anything pertaining to break in or struggle against the person responsible? And how could such destruction be caused with the neighbors not even aware that something was wrong? "Again with the dog lieutenant? How does the dog fit into all this?"

"Well sir the dog is at a local vet's office for severe abdominal and stomach wounds, extreme blood loss and damaged paws." He said handing over the report. It was true. The photos and medical records were proof enough. The damage was horrifying enough for even cool and collected Riza to look a little green at the damage the dog had sustained. Whatever had happened in that house, the dog had something to do with it. But how? And how did the dog get to be in such a state without anyone hearing any sound of distress the creature may have made? "anything else lieutenant?"

"It seems sir that this isn't the first case of animal related injury. From the last number of abductions, several different cats, various dogs, even mice were reported to have sustained the same wounds that the dog of this residence were reported to have been known to have pets or various visits from local animal life. What also bothers me is that in each case, as well as this one, a door or window was wide open everything was overturned or destroyed in some way or other… and there are no signs of forced entry."

"No forced entry? That's impossible unless the kidnapper was well known to these people--."

"We already looked into that sir! And no one has been reported for odd behavior or change in habit. The others and myself have looked everything over and over but no matter what we try, we get nothing. No criminals or otherwise have shown and suspicious or disorderly conduct in the past four months! Whoever is doing this is very professional in their business and in why they attack animals is beyond even us sir."

Things were getting too strange. Ed managed to grab the pictures to examine them more closely, making sure Al didn't see them. He wasn't exactly ready for such images just yet, sure he'd seen things like it some worse than most, but discretion was best for his younger brother. Looking at the blood splatter and the wounds themselves, he noticed something that almost made him drop the papers and send them flying. Something was wrong in these pictures, how could even the biggest dumb ass not notice a clue this big? Ed's face must've said it all, his hand shaking, making the papers flap slightly. "Ed? Are you okay?"

"Roy. Come look at this." His voice was almost dead. And very serious. Astonished at the use of his name, he chose not to question and came forward, taking the pictures back. He looked them over, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What am I looking at here Ed?"

"The wounds on the dog. Something is different about them."

Confused, Roy's brain wasn't registering just what _could_ be wrong with the photos. _The dog's wounds are wrong? How could--?_ The thought broke off as the epiphany quite literally slapped him in the face. "Are you really suggesting that--?"

"That I am Mustang. That I am. These aren't usual defensive wounds. There's nothing defensive about them. Something didn't attack the dog… something came _out_ of the dog."

People gasped in horror. How could something come out of a dog? How did it get in the dog in the first place? Not waiting for any answers Ed continued. "Whatever is taking these people is using animals as a means to enter the houses, take the occupants by surprise then somehow take them to wherever it is that the thing has planned. Whoever or whatever is taking these people isn't normal."

"Do you think it might be a Homunculus? Is it possible for a whole new one to suddenly pop up like this?"

"Highly unlikely. Either that or we could be facing a whole new type of homunculus entirely. I can't tell for sure but whatever it is, its intention is obvious."

"Obvious? How so Ed?" Riza asked, a look of confusion marring her emotionless features. What could Ed be trying to point out? "Why would they just take people out of random? Why not chose a specific type of target? Like a girl with certain features or men with identical backgrounds? (The most predictable serial killer pattern.) He, she, or it could easily choose between hundreds upon thousands of targets with the same thing in common with one another, whether they know of it or not. Instead this person or thing chooses targets at random, as though not caring who they catch or kill to do what they intend to do. Maybe this thing doesn't actually want them alive at all."

"Are you suggesting that who or whatever this thing might be is actually trying to create homunculi? But why would they? Why do that when they could suffer from Equivalent exchange like you did?" Fury realized his mistake a little too late as Ed turned slowly in his direction, looking extremely irritated. "Uh sorry. I forgot."

Sighing and shaking his head, Ed just waved it away. "It's okay. I'm used to it. But that may not be the point. These people could be just looking for good test subjects for homunculi _or_ chimeras."

"You think there are people out there willing to go that far?" Havoc stammered nervously, his glasses tilting to the side on his face. Ed just rubbed his chin, eyes averted in deep thought. "I don't know just yet but it's possible that's what may be in motion, then again it could be another psycho killer who plants explosives in live animals and house pets before coming into the house somehow and abducting the occupants." he would've said more if not for the odd shadow catching his eye, a strange figure standing on the far side of the street, kneeling down as thought examining something on the ground. It wore what looked to be a long winter's jacket; even though it was in the middle of fall and the air was growing chilly it was still a bit odd to be wearing something that big. The jacket was dark in color, accompanied by a dark cap and pants, possibly dark gloves considering the fact that the boy was having trouble spotting the figure's hands regardless of his angle. One of its arms extended to touch the ground, a finger wiping something up before bringing it up to its face, gazing down at its own appendage with almost scientific scrutiny before straightening up to look left, right, all around and then walk away, trying to be as casual as possible. Unfortunately whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to notice that he/she/it now had a large group of blue garbed observers across the street, some curious, other confused and few suspicious. Black eyes narrowed as Mustang watched the figure grow smaller and smaller, nodding to the boys to follow it as it left, making arrangements of his own to back them up. Hawkeye predictably protested, demanding to go with them since she seemed to have more common sense than him. Leaving Armstrong in charge of the investigation and such, the four were soon on their way down the street, literally jogging to catch up with their supposed suspect. Mustang could only curse under his breath when they found their target almost out of sight, the Elrics thankfully not far behind.

Turning and twisting through the calm streets of Central the figure seemed to know exactly where he was going and why. No one really noticed the man, or woman, or whatever it was that passed their homes so nonchalantly, closely followed by a pair of teenagers and two military officers. If he/she/it really noticed that it was being followed, it gave no sign, simply following man's unwritten laws of public courteousness and any other rule depicting proper municipal conduct. But other than such orderly actions taking place, the figure still seemed to act in a fairly odd manner: avoiding large groups of people, politely waving to those who waved at him but didn't bother to stop and converse further as well as somehow successfully ignoring ecstatic children just scavenging for someone older than them to play with. Though the figure did pause to watch the children run off somewhere, tilting his/her head as though confused before shrugging and walking on. In other words, so far who or whatever it was wasn't acting hostile in any fashion. At least, not yet anyway. Somewhere in the midst of their long walk, the figure seemed to stop and abruptly turn his/her head to somewhere to his/her right before walking a bit faster than before, as though hurrying to get somewhere and fast.

He/she/it's stride had lengthened and was proving to be hard to keep up with, crossing streets and moving swiftly past people, disregarding all means of politeness now that it seemed the figure was on a mission from who knew where. The figure only hesitated when someone got in his way or a car needed to pass before jogging a bit until deeming it necessary to start walking again. All signs of inhabitants started to fade as they followed the figure to what appeared to be the outskirts of Central, all four of them practically running since the man/woman had picked up the pace. Something about the air didn't feel right as they almost lost sight of the dark figure several times before spotting him again, somehow starting to outrace them in the maze of streets and alleyways. It didn't seem all that long before the figure finally, and quite literally, busted down a door to an old apartment building and stomping inside, his/her shoes making flat thuds on the old wooden floors.

Pulling out her gun and with their hands ready, the four cautiously entered the building, not surprised to find the place empty and completely blanketed with dust, mold and grime. Wood creaked in protest to their feet weighting down on it but stubbornly remained firm enough to walk on and investigate the place further. They didn't have to go far before hearing voices raised in undeniable fury and disgust, another only seeming to laugh and hiss back in amusement. Coming across the door to the basement they could make out the conversation quite clearly: "—I don't know just what you sick creeps are thinking but coming here of all places and doing what you're doing is just sick and vile as always. What **_do_** _you_ hope to accomplish?"

"And why would I tell you? You sniveling lap dog of your precious leader who slips from the world more and more every day—" the other voice hissed slyly, a devious smile seeming to accompany the voice before it was cut off by what they suspected was their pursued, unleashing endless rage.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK OF HIM! I'LL CUT OUT YOUR TONGUE!! ROAR!!" running could be heard as a blade clanged against another, both seeming to grunt from the impact before more sounds of metal on metal reached their ears. The second voice seemed to hiss something else amidst the noise before being drowned out by another roar of rage and even more clatter resounded off the hollow walls as the first seemed to pick up the pace a bit. Not wanting to wait another second Riza led the way down the stairs, gun in hand and ready for action as always with Mustang right on her heels, the Elric brothers not far behind. Darkness was soon held back by dim light intensified by sparks flying, the clash of metal blades ringing in the air. What they found wasn't something they expected at all: two figures fighting armed to the teeth in front of a swirling vortex of blues, whites and grays which seemed to swirl in midair in an almost sleepy manner. One of the figures they knew to be their 'suspect' but the other was still a mystery to them as they could only watch while the fight became even more heated than before. The 'suspect' suddenly flipped away from a gut-slicing swipe, quickly moving to their side before turning at Riza with an almost desperate voice. "Shoot him! I'll go in for the kill!"

Blinking at the man but not daring question the order, she brought the weapon to eye level and fired, getting the other figure in the shoulders and head. Only problem was that the thing was still moving, rushing forward despite the hits it took to take them all down. But the 'suspect' didn't seem to be in the mood to allow this, rushing forward himself with his own blade shining in the unnatural light. One could swear that it happened faster than fast, the blade shooting forward into the thing's chest, blood spewing out from behind it as they were both sent flying back toward the strange vortex that took up most of the back wall. It screeched despite its condition as they both soared toward the unknown, one of the creature's arms stretching beyond normal lengths to reach forward and grab the one person no one expected it to: Alphonse was suddenly pulled along for the ride, eyes wide in fear and astonishment as the poor boy called his brother's name. "EDWARD!!"

"AL!" the older teen screamed, gloved hands reaching forth to grab at his brother in the hopes of his worst nightmare to not come true for the second time in his life, desperately gripping clothe and limb as he dug his heels into the floor. The rope like arm pulled taught as the pair hit the vortex's surface, making it ripple like pond water as it swallowed them both, the arm the only thing poking out as Al continued to fly toward it no matter what his brother tried to prevent it. Ed barely heard Mustang's shouts and Riza's gun going off behind him as he used ever fiber of his being to hold onto his brother. Though he tried to keep a solid grip on his sibling, Ed was horrified to find that the other boy's sleeve was ripping. By the time it tore completely, it was too late for the blonde to do much except scream his brother's name and grab at empty air. Falling onto his face Ed scrambled to get up and give chase, ignoring Mustang's yells for him to stop and Riza moving forward to stop him but it still wasn't enough to make him not go through himself, leaping forward into the lazy twirl of the strange portal that stood wide open.

--**_On The Other Side Of Central, A Good Hour Before_**—

Scar had been wandering for almost three months after the event in Liore, not knowing if he'd succeeded or if he'd failed in creating the Philosopher's Stone thanks to Alphonse and his armor body, resenting the fact that the tattoos on his arm had yet to fade, let alone cease to exist. Dressed in his yellow trench coat and sunglasses to cover his eyes as he walked through the streets of Central, he couldn't help but shiver as a cool breeze passed him by, making him curse the weather under his breath as he turned a corner to find a large group of military personnel moving around, in and out of a house on a street corner. Freezing on the spot and hoping to Ishbala that they wouldn't see him, he saw two very familiar people amidst it all: Edward Elric who was surprisingly taller and Roy Mustang who seemed to have a eye patch for some unknown reason. The third person was beyond any recognition that came to mind, wondering just who the boy was as he stood fairly close to Edward as he spoke to Mustang about something on the papers he seemed to be holding. Then they seemed to notice something on the far side of the street, seeming to eye who or whatever it was with suspicion. Looking over himself without being noticed he couldn't help but blink in surprise: it was just a civilian dressed in winter gear, long coat and some engineers' cap and all, kneeling on the ground as though to examine something up close, using one of his gloved hands to wipe something up and bring it up to his face for a better look. Still a bit puzzled about what made this figure so untrustworthy, Scar made sure he couldn't be seen before lowering his glasses to get a better look himself. He could only blink in astonishment at what he saw: the man had straightened up to walk away, looking around to be sure he hadn't been spotted and then turned to walk up the road in the most nonchalant manner the Ishbalan had ever witnessed.

He was surprised further when Ed and the other boy jogged to fall in step with the man, keeping their distance as Mustang stayed back long enough to give out orders before following himself with Hawkeye right behind him. Curious and not wanting to be left in the dark of things, the Ishbalan adjusted his glasses again to cover his eyes as he made a move of his own to make chase. He had to run a bit himself to keep up with them, also surprised and confused on why on the pursued suddenly stopped before practically bolting away without turning around to see if he was being followed or not as he weaved his way past people and things to come to a screeching halt in front of an old apartment building door which he didn't hesitate to break down and stomp inside. Scar kept his distance as the four others moved to follow the first man into the rickety building. He couldn't help but jump at the sound of muffled shouting and gunshots, making him run forward and see it all with his own eyes what the commotion was about. The Ishbalan couldn't have come in at a worse time: the one he learned then and there was Alphonse, the walking armor now flesh and blood being pulled in by the unnaturally stretched arm of an odd figure already flying back into the lethargic spin of an otherworldly vortex with a sword in its chest and holes in its head, mouth wide open with an infuriated screech as both were sent plummeting toward the oddly colored unknown. Ed was desperately trying to prevent his brother's second disappearance as Mustang and Riza run forward to try and lend a hand themselves, Riza shooting a few more holes into the thing's limb as it vanished into the vortex's calm surface, Al's sleeve tearing, the younger boy flying back with a terrified scream, the arm continuing to disappear as Ed fell over before jumping up again to run after his still screaming sibling who's eyes were wide with fear of the worst to come, his voice cut off as he was swallowed up by the portal's watery surface. It all seemed to happen in slow motion for them all, Ed literally leaping forward with desperate hands, a fearful face and determined eyes, Mustang and Riza trying to stop him but still too far behind to do much except shout in protest; and Scar finally finding the will to move forward and follow the boys through whatever hell awaited them all.

Mustang and Riza could only slow in shock as Scar, the alchemist serial killer, passed them both in the race after Ed and Al, looking forward as he sprinted ahead as didn't dare slow down as he yelled behind him. "You can arrest me later Mustang! But for now I have favors to return with these two! I promise you I'll do my best to help them return home!" he said no more as he made the jump and broke the portal's surface for the fourth time that day.

By the gods I'm good! And a killer cliffy to match! Woot!! It took me a while but by heaven's clouds I finally finished chapter 1! To think I'd never get around to posting it too! Yeah, yeah I know I'm being lazy and all but my brains on the fritz again and chapter 7 of my second Aurora Borealis story's taking forever to finish. To be truthful, what I may have to do to finish it is really going to break my heart considering what's been happening in the past few chapters. Ugh I'm falling to pieces just thinking about it! Okay I'll stop rambling… damn I'm pathetic .

Wow. No notes today! Oh crap I just jinxed myself again didn't I? Dammit! And to think I'd be free from it all. Keep goin' on like this and I'll be in some serious shit for sure! Oh well, that's life for ya. Filled with nothin' but crap to throw at ya.

Next! Coming next time on '_Fullmetal Dimensions_':

Chapter 2: Busted Beyond Belief

Scar's in for the ride of his life as he once again follows the Elrics on a whole new adventure into the dangerous unknown beyond all expectations, or imaginations. What exactly lies ahead for the troublesome trio and will Ed and Scar need to team up to get Al back from the creature that is? Just wait and see in:

_**Chapter 2: Busted Beyond Belief!!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Busted Beyond Belief

Yet another story is just begging to unfold for you my readers! And I can't help but oblige to the request in saying: GO ME!! I JUST STARTED MY FOURTH FANFIC!! And I couldn't be happier with myself when it comes down to it. To think I'd never get around to writing this thing! I might end up making it a Scar x Ed, a Roy x Ed, hell just Roy x Riza for the sake of things! Al and Winry might get together… you don't know… and at this point neither do I! But first things first: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its contents/characters blah, blah, blah and all that jazz. Just read it and tell me what ya think k? Thanks!

_Iii_ thought

"iii" speech

Chapter 2: Busted Beyond Belief

He didn't know if he should open his eyes or let them stay closed. Seeing something horrible wasn't as good as being unable to see anything at all. Unable to keep himself in the dark anymore, Scar let one of his red eyes open a bit only for both of them to snap wide open at what he was seeing: a tunnel consisting of blue, white and grey walls, somehow spinning faster than the lethargic movement he'd seen minutes before. Looking around only to somersault, he found himself floating in midair, speeding almost drastically toward something that he'd yet to see. Thoughts pulling themselves together as he moved his arms to look ahead, he saw something relatively familiar: Ed was also somersaulting, only in a more dizzying manner. Seeing that the boy had yet to establish any basic sense of direction and was looking a little green, he decided to take some action. Letting his arms hang at his sides and bringing his legs together, he found himself almost rocketing in the boy's direction before extending a hand to catch his arm and thus help him correct his position. The young man flinched and nearly jerked out of his grip but he held tight, looking him in the eyes hard enough to reassure him of his intent. A slit frown came onto the pale face but let himself be assisted, blinking as he felt the difference between then and seconds before. Finally the question came a rollin' out of Ed's mouth. "How did you get here and why? I don't remember--."

"That's because I followed you from that house I saw you standing in front of. I felt that the least I could do for what you've done for me on your part was to help you get your brother back. Has he been that way long?" the Ishbalan inquired as Ed just stared at him before turning back to the swirling tunnel ahead and around them before answering almost above a whisper. "A year or two to say the least. We thought you were dead Scar."

The Ishbalan man couldn't help but blink at the last sentence before turning away to look ahead himself, fighting down the fear that dared boil up inside of him. After a while he finally answered as well. "Just a little sand and a few holes in my clothes. Usual things to be sure." He dared to glance at the golden haired boy. "Any ideas on what to do when we get there?"

He smirked as his golden eyes narrowed, never taking them off the tunnel swirling ahead of them. "Nope. None whatsoever. Why? Do you?"

"Humph. Like you Edward Elric, I'm at a loss."

"Then I guess we'll know when we get there."

"Very true. Very true indeed."

The end of the tunnel came a lot faster than they anticipated, a glowing circle that grew larger by the second, their journey coming to a speedy close as the two men hit it and were literally sent flying into the unknown. And flying was right. Blinded by the light at the end, all Ed could see were white dots clouding his vision as he came crashing toward… nothing. Blinking as howling wind brought tears to his eyes, Ed realized why he hadn't landed like he thought he would: he was headed straight toward cold hard dirt that was closing in fast. Worst of all, it was all solid stone, a deep blackish grey that looked like it would hurt if hit hard enough. Quickly moving in midair, he made it to where he'd land on his auto mail arm, closing his eyes again as he awaited the imminent impact. The cloth of his jacket and shirt dulled the sound of metal hitting stone, making him wince at the sound even though it stung his still perfectly fleshy side. He gasped for air as he tried to breath with bruised ribs, his ears barely registering another bodily thud and grunt somewhere to his left. Managing to roll over onto his back, Ed couldn't help but wince and groan. "… Ow…"

"Are you all right Edward?" a monotone voice gasped, sounding a bit worried compared to all the other times the older man had actually spoken to him like another human being. "Nah… I'm just peachy…. What's it look like? Do I _look_ all right to you?" Ed growled as he opened an eye to glare at the man sitting not far from him, staring back with unnaturally red eyes. The Ishbalan decided not to answer as he got to his feet, dusting himself off before looking one way, then the other, an expression of true confusion marring his flawlessly emotionless features. He hadn't expected to see a lot of things, and this definitely was one of 'em: a deserted street, completely devoid of life and light, buildings that were still in some living condition or looked like they'd collapsed if you so much as poked them. Many of the windows were broken but there were no signs of gunfire or explosives to be seen. A few trees, planted in circular holes in the sidewalks, had roots coming up out of the stone surface, followed not far behind by grass and weeds randomly poking out like no tomorrow. The sky was clear with very few clouds, the sun starting to set in the distance, letting off a golden glow that brightened up the grey place but not enough to lose the gloom. No sounds came except the wind howling through, making them shiver from the chill. The leaves were red, orange and yellow while some had already turned brown: early fall from what they could tell. Another odd thing was that the vehicles on the sides of the road were almost everywhere, and were of the strangest designs. None like the cars they were used to seeing, no matter how few people had them.

Ed managed to pick himself up off the ground, actually standing as tall as Scar's shoulder compared to years before, dusting his red jacket off before his mature golden eyes surveyed the abandoned city streets that were within sight range. Not a soul appeared, not even a stray pet peeked out from behind a corner to observe the two new strangers standing on foreign ground. Shadows stretched long and dark, giving the ground a special chill as yet another breeze moaned by, making the fallen leaves scratch against stone and dirt as they floated into the air and along the ground in a display of color and nature's wonders. The two looked left and right, seeing no sign of the offender that took Al, or of the first stranger they'd followed in the first place. Ed couldn't help but feel disoriented and lost, trying hard not to panic as he nearly broke his own neck while looking in almost every direction the three might've disappeared to. As the teen continued to search their immediate area, Scar scanned the buildings that looked a lot like those in Central; only some were more of a discouraging grey rather than the deep rusty red that he was used to seeing in bricks. He also found the tall metal poles ponderous since there were signs with white letters on green backgrounds hanging over the middle of the street, right next to some odd device with three glass things under a yellow metal cover as though to shield them from rain or light. The Ishbalan stared at the strange thing before turning away to snap Ed out of his state of absolute confusion. "I think we should get moving Edward. Standing here scared won't find your brother any faster."

The teen turned on him with a vicious glare, golden eyes flashing harshly as he brought a gloved finger up to stab at the older man. "You think I don't know that? I just don't know where we are is all!" his glare melted to a look of shame as he turned around to stare at the empty streets before them. "And who knows where they went. I don't even know where to begin!"

"We'll find them Edward Elric. I'm sure that man is doing his best to get your brother back for you in our stead." He said, not helping but feel sorry for the boy as the teen only nodded with a sad smile and headed forward onto the street right in front of them, the sun setting off to the right and night sky slowly bleeding into existence on the left, and the swirling vortex glowing dimly behind them as a pair of tired grey eyes watched them with slight interest from somewhere above.

--**_In Central_**—

Getting reorganized was one thing, but comprehending that the Elric brothers and the infamous state alchemist killer Scar had once again performed a disappearing act right before his eyes, no wait _eye_, was truly something else. Not only had they vanished in the same fashion, but in the same direction. If one could count Al's own unintentional means of doing so then one could indeed say that they were once again off elsewhere raising all kinds of hell for people, and for Roy. And the last thing he needed was more boring paperwork to nearly break his hands over while having an extremely well cleaned 9 millimeter held to his head to ensure that all were completed within the set time limit. Mustang couldn't help but hang his head in misery and fear for what the blonde guns woman might do to him were he to shirk his duties more than he should, even on his _normal_ basis. Quickly pulling himself together Mustang surveyed the scene with the one eye he still had no thanks to a certain homunculus aka Pride: soldiers whizzed back and forth, some with boxes or piles of paper work usually in manila folders, Riza standing next him to like any other day in the office. Or on the field for that matter. Armstrong still had yet to report from the latest victim's house and Havoc seemed to be taking his sweet old time coming back from the abandoned apartment building where the vortex was said to still reside.

It wasn't long before the man started to feel a tab bit irritated when usually such things didn't bother him since he was allegedly rumored to be one of the laziest soldiers the armed forces had ever employed. But lucky for him he was the strictest one. When he needed to be. His single black eye swept over everything like that of an eagle's, shifting from side to side lazily as he watched everything flow almost clumsily past him before he decided to look down at his desk. Or at least what could be seen of the damned thing… especially since it was almost completely covered in paper work up to his shoulders were he to sit up straight enough to see over the mini skyscraping sheets that blocked his 'Cyclops' view of everything else around him. Black Hayate, Riza's dog, yelped in pain as someone stepped on his tail while carrying a large pile of papers, thus resulting in paper rain, loud yells and far more stress than the General needed. Ever. The poor man could only sag his shoulders before standing up and slamming his hands on his desk. "What're you waiting for? Get this cleaned up and get back to work!" he roared harshly, making all within the vicinity freeze before scurrying away again, not wanting to face the man's wrath. Flopping back into his chair with a sigh of misery, Mustang couldn't help but feel stupid for what he'd done. _More like what I didn't do. And to think they actually let me have this job._ He thought to himself as he gently banged his head against the polished mahogany desktop.

The small thuds were unnoticed over the din of people calling and shouting, Black Hayate having long since found a safer place to nap as Riza stopped to stare at Mustang's desk as her acute ears picked up his slight hisses of pain as he continued to punish himself via his own desk. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, knowing that he had something at work that even he, General Roy Mustang, had yet to notice. Shaking her head, Riza Hawkeye hefted the box in her arms a little better before calmly walking away with the occasional glance back in worry at the one she'd sworn to protect. No matter what the cost.

Just as she was about to turn a corner with her load when a certain oversized muscle wonder (with sparkles to blind), came marching in his pale and blonde glory exclaiming in his triumph about something the higher ranking woman had yet to comprehend. She blinked and managed to say in her monotone voice. "Say again major?"

"My family's brilliance has once again shone through for the Armstrong family for I the oldest descendant have found one of our perpetrators!!" he said again as he struck poses, his muscles and blindingly flawless skin flexed and pulsed as the man continued to ramble on about something or other as Riza noticed that a dark something seemed to be hanging from the larger man's shoulder. It was swinging along with the man's movements, but something told her that the strange thing wasn't exactly taking all this odd activity that well. Many stopped and blinked when the strange mass suddenly grew a head and exclaimed at the giant man. "Are completely daft to the point where you forget who's in your custody man? Now put me down or by the graces of whatever gods you worship I'll hack up me lunch onto your head and slowly gnaw your arm from your BLOODY SHOULDER!!"

The man didn't look like the violent type but he did look woozy enough to try anything to escape someone he definitely didn't like from second one. Sincerely apoligizing in his annoying way, Armstrong finally set the man on the ground where he wobbled until he slumped to the floor against the closest wall, looking like he was about to lose his latest meal. But luckily he managed to hold it down long enough to look around, spot Riza and smirk. "Well Lady Gun, we meet once again. How long has it been? A good hour or two; a half hour perhaps?" he inquired as he rested his capped head against the wall, lazy light grey eyes staring back into hazel. It wasn't long before she set her load down to walk over, pick him up by the front of his jacket and look him right in the eye. "Where's Alphonse Elric?"

"Alphonse? Now that's an interesting name for a lad like that. Sure did fight hard the poor boy. I can be truthful when I say I tried to find them when they passed through but I came back here incase the slippery cadaver of a bastard pulled a fast one on me. I called my comrades to search the other side while I looked here for him--."

"You mean there are more of you? Where? Who are they and who are you? Why are you here?" she growled in her restrained fury as the man started to sweat considerably at her expression. He was 'saved' by the ever familiar Mustang stomping his way onto the scene, his single black eye taking in what was before him: Riza holding up the dark clad stranger from some time before and a confused and disgustingly shirtless Armstrong looking on as the blonde woman unleashed a million questions at said man whose feet were dangling above the floor. Spotting her commanding officer watching her every move, she chose then to let the man down so he could breath a little easier. Just when he thought he was in the clear, the man found himself face to face with an infuriated one eyed man, his single eye ablaze as his voice froze him to the spot. "Where is Alphonse and Edward Elric?"

The man blinked before he seemed to just stare, absolutely unfazed by anything around him as he stared the man in the eye. "You saw the door didn't you? Think about it; use your imagination if you have one. I personally have no idea where or _when_ they could be and why. The boy our nasty friend grabbed may still be together unless the brat was smart enough to actually fight back after I lost track of it. I may still be able to track it but I can tell you I was about to get a good lead when your… _employee_ over there grabbed me and dragged me here to be yelled at by you. Questions?"

All could only stand in a stunned silence at what the man had said, and even when he'd finished they still couldn't believe it to be true. This man had lost track of Al's captor and had no idea where Ed was? Was that even possible? "What do you mean by 'where' and 'when'? And what exactly is that thing in that old basement?"

The stranger sighed as he leaned against the wall, rolling his eyes but decided to keep his temper in check. "I already told you what it was or are you suddenly deaf to my words? What's down there, in that basement, is a door to places that even the wildest of imaginations can't dream up and your friends are now caught over their heads in it with no means of escaping except the way they came. And as I said before, I _was_ looking for the thing but your subordinates here seem very intent on keeping me from doing what I do for a living."

"Do for a living? What do you do exactly? Does that thing have something to do with it?" Mustang inquired, curious now as the man put on a grim expression. "Sir, when it comes down to that… you've no idea just what it is I do."

"Try me."

"No you don't. I'd be going against my own laws in telling you anything else."

"Then at least tell us what's been happening to all the people that have gone missing over these last few weeks! Surely there's something you can tell us!"

Staring back at the one eyed man, the stranger straightened to where he was standing on his own two feet, ignoring the General as he looked to Riza, holding up his cuffed hands. Blinking, the woman released the man of his bounds, watching as he flexed his arms and wrists before turning back to her superior. His almost silvery eyes seemed to search Roy's single orb before he finally sighed, his shoulders slumping while one of his hands reached into one of his coat pockets. People tensed but dared not to stop him as he pulled out a small sheet of plain white paper, which much to their stunned curiosity, he started to fold. A few moments passed before he finally revealed a paper bird, expertly made to where it was almost life-like in appearance. Setting the item down on a nearby windowsill, he opened the window to the early evening air before looking down expectantly at the paper animal. For some reason he seemed to grow frustrated with the thing and barked at it. "Well? Get goin' you silly buzzard! Ain't got all night you know that?"

All could only watch in astonishment as the thing suddenly came to life, moving with invisible legs (since it didn't have any), moving its oddly shaped wings, turning its head back and forth before looking up at the man with nonexistent eyes. The man sighed and calmly flicked the thing out the window, some surprised that it actually panicked as it vanished over the side before coming into view some distance away, soon becoming nothing more than a strange moving dot in the distance. Closing the window the man simply walked away, found a chair and took a seat as though nothing had happened at all while completely ignoring the looks he was getting. "What did you just do?" Riza had to ask in an amazed voice of how the man had made a lifeless thing fly as though a real bird and not some folded up piece of paper.

"I just sent a message to my colleague and superiors of the present situation and considering how fast that little guy was flyin', I'd say we'll get a response within the next… oh… half hour perhaps?" he said coolly, leaning back and crossing his limbs, leaning his head back, pulling his hat over his eyes as though in preparation of sleep.

"But Al may not have that kind of time! How do you--?"

"I just do okay lady? I just do now relax will ya? Before somethin' in that head of yours snaps like a twig." He grumbled in annoyance, shifting in the chair and sighing in obvious fatigue, his breathing already starting to even out despite his location. Some people had already begun to continue their work, sending curious glances in the man's direction as they passed by. But on the other hand, the man seemed to be ignored, somehow blending in perfectly with everything else whether he was aware of it or not. For all they knew, he probably didn't care if they noticed him or not, whether they saw him as someone amazing or just a piece of garbage, one couldn't be sure if he even gave a rat's ass. After only a few minutes or so one could swear his was silently snoring in his chair, his feet seeming to stretch further away from the chair as he snoozed on, not even yet another crash of papers and boxes disturbing his dreamless slumber. Things finally calmed down for the military office, the hands of time slowly ticking away as the man peacefully slumbered on for what seemed like hours. But then this eerily long freeze frame was interrupted by a loud tapping at the window, the man perked up in his chair, using one of his thumbs to lift his hat out of his face and slapped a smirk on his face as he got up and headed toward the window. "Mail's in."

A few blinked out of their sleepy dazes as they watched the man open the window and grab something from out of the dark night air, even though they were only on the second floor. Closing it again the man still smirking, he turned to face them, a box and the paper bird in his hands. He came back toward the row of desks, letting the group of soldiers gather round to inspect the contents of the peculiar package. It was wooden and in fairly good shape but looked as though it'd been dropped a time or two before hand. A copper lock held the thing closed as some sort of insignia on the lid shimmered in the artificial light of the office room. Scowling the man turned to the bird, now a little on the dusty side, and gave it an expectant look. When nothing happened his scowl intensified. "Where's the key you little cheapskate? How the hell am I supposed to open it if I don't have the damn key? Answer me that you oversized, fancifully crumbled post it note!" he hissed in his annoyance, the paper animal seeming to shiver from his words before it flopped over onto its side, revealing it hollow underbelly and a small copper key. The man smiled and quickly grabbed it before anyone else had the chance to snatch it up for him.

"What exactly is in that box and how'd that little thing get it here?" Lieutenant Havoc inquired as he adjusted his glasses, leaning forward to give the paper bird a better look over. But the man just smiled mischievously at the smaller man. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Actually we all would. And how does this item help us find the Elrics and Scar?" Mustang barked in frustration since he'd waited long enough. The stranger was really testing his patience and he wasn't sure he could hold back his fury any longer. But the man just smiled and held up his hands in surrender. "Just let me open it and you'll see. And if you lean any closer to that bird I'm sure it'll take the time to poke your eye out, even if you do have glasses on."

Havoc jumped and quickly bounded away from the paper creation, not wanting to end up like Mustang when it came to vision impairment and having two look-alikes would be just weird in their minds. Everyone else seemed to edge away from the little paper animal as it sat innocently on the desktop, possibly watching them all with nonexistent eyes. The man just smirked at their reaction and preceded to put the key head into the hole in the lock, small gears squeaking in protest to the movement as a small click resounded off the white walls. Hinges creaked as the lid was lifted up, its contents taking on new air while many pairs (and single) eyes peeked over the man's shoulder to observe what was there to be seen. Absolutely nothing. The box was completely devoid of anything solid or considerably useful, that being a device or papers giving instruction on what to do. But the wooden container didn't seem to contain anything but possibly old air, powder or dust. Mustang scowled at the man with a pissed off sneer marring his pale features. "We waited all this time for _this_?" he hissed in his fury, clenching his fists to keep from getting the man in the jaw. The man just stared and reached into the box and pulled out the bottom panel, revealing a darker, deeper space.

"You so sure about that?" the man said as jaws dropped to the floor in awe of this foreign spectacle and possible illusion. But upon further inspection did they find that even though inside the box was the endless abyss, the bottom upon which the box's legs and opposite surface resided was perfectly normal and intact. Almost as though there was nothing paranormal about the item whatsoever. One of the men picked the box up from the table only to find that nothing about the odd object changed except for its weight which surprised even Armstrong who took a turn holding it only to find it dragging him to the floor. The large man struggled to free his hands only to be surprised further by a brown-gloved hand reached out of the container and ended up palm down on top of the man's shiny baldhead. It wasn't long before the hand added pressure and was soon followed by an arm completely encased in a jacket sleeve. Also with this arm came what was obviously the other hand as both proceeded to protrude from the small container.

Finally a head and shoulders came into existence, sharp as knives eyes flashed as they fell on Armstrong whose hands were still trapped under the box's unusual weight. The new stranger, sporting what looked to be an engineer's hat, brown hair and golden green eyes that simply pierced the soul in a single glance. Said eyes fell on Armstrong who immediately started to sweat from what was amazingly literal terror as the man stared down at him despite both their positions. His face was completely devoid of emotion as his right hand gripped the floor while the other seemed to have been used as a means to get a grip on something solid mere moments before. The man's expression never changing, he placed both hands on the floor and easily brought the box up off the other man's hands and onto the clean tile floor mere inches away. Never saying a thing he gripped the edges of the box and started to pull himself out some more until he finally got himself out below the waist. His dress was that of a storekeeper but yet of someone active like a mechanic or a factory worker, almost as if his rough dark brown jacket and gloved hands weren't proof enough. Pulling his feet out of the box so his boots could make dull thuds on the clean tile, he reached back into the box all the way to the shoulder and started to pull something else out. At first it seemed like he was really struggling with whatever he had his grip on but it wasn't until his arm started to slowly come back out did they know that what he was doing wasn't completely pointless and awkward. With one final pull, whatever what was left came out in one tug, spilling into the room almost like oversized confetti. Another man was sent flying across the room into the wall with a loud thud, two travel bags tossed like rocks crashed into another wall and a corner, nearly getting someone in the head.

The first man from before just watched the scene unwind with an amused smirk while the first man from the box glared at the ceiling from his spot on the floor where he'd fallen backwards in assisting his companion. Raising his hand to help the other up, he just smiled knowingly as the man just rolled to the side and got to his feet himself, dusting himself off in his irritation. The stunned silence was soon broken when the third man of the party finally rose from the floor and stabbed an infuriated finger at the second and yelled in an amazingly childish tone. "BROTHER!! You did that on purpose! Why'd you do that anyway?"

The second man just smirked coolly and turned to the third. "Because I could you dolt, so deal with it. Just feel glad I agreed to bring you along at all. _Little_ brother."

This only seemed to anger the third man further, who to everyone's surprise, looked exactly like the second, only he actually looked pissed as hell. Fierce rage flared in his golden green eyes as he stabbed his finger at his look alike all the more. "That's not the point and you know it you hard ass! Now say you're sorry right now!!"

His twin only smirked and crossed his arms, obviously feeling superior to his opposite standing near the wall. "Why should I? It's not my fault you got stuck on the way here you know. That and we have a job to do so just shut up and suck it up." He growled as he closed the box and lifted it from the floor, turning to face the first man with an annoyed expression marring his smooth features. "So what's so important that you call us _here_ of all places? And at this hour pray tell?"

"Well for one thing I needed some back up that and you two are the best trackers I could think of other than Lazy Dog whom of which I'm sure is busy sleeping by now like he always is." He said with a sigh, his shoulders slumping as the other just looked like he wanted to kill something but only enough to make his eyebrow twitch. "Yeah I think so too. The bum." He seemed to growl as his double circled around the room to collect the bags that'd been so harshly thrown across the room. It wasn't until the twin joined the other two did he notice that they were being watched by a group of very shocked soldiers in blue uniforms, their jaws on the floor before the man grinned like a fool, pointed at them and yelled, "LOOK BROTHER!! **_PEOPLE!_**"

"Huh?" was all the man said as he turned with mild interest at the group staring on near the door, tilting his head slightly as though to observe them at a better angle. Turning back to the first man he growled again. "Yo Gayle, what's with the crowd? They look like they've seen a magic trick they can't figure out."

"Technically that's the issue since you guys did come out of a box after all." Gayle shrugged with a shy grin as he turned to the group who still stood by in shock as the first man pointed them out one by one. "Well that's One Eye, Lady Gun and dog, Big Man and Glasses, Cigarette Dude, uh… Snow Head and Red Man." People sweat dropped as he finished the 'introductions' the third man too thrilled with new faces to notice while his more serious double looked like he wanted to strangle the first. The first stranger, or in this case Gayle, just tried to act like he didn't notice the second man's vicious stare as the third man started to stare almost curiously at Black Hayate, who stared back before pawing at him. Curious and insightful, the man let the paw fall into his open hand, lifting it up to his face, twisting it this way and that before blinking and exclaiming almost as loud as possible. "Hayate! Black Hayate doggie! Long lost puppy gone all out military warrior!" jaws dropped as the group stared in astonishment while the man laughed and the dog barked, tail wagging almost in glee.

"How did-? How did he-?" Mustang stammered, as Hawkeye just seemed to be too stunned to say anything.

"I've no idea but he does that sometimes. These two have the innate ability to see through time and space. Evan there can see a bit of the past but can clearly see the future while Ozzy here, next to me mind you, will easily recite a past saying that you said maybe, a few days ago? Plus he has some clairvoyant insight that proves useful now and again. To top things off, they've the second best tracking abilities in my division." Gayle shrugged again as Evan seemed to have started a game of 'patty cake' with Black Hayate and seemed to be oblivious to the happenings around him. Ozzy just shook his head at his twin brother's antics and turned to Mustang, golden green eyes staring almost angrily and dispassionately at him. "You lost that eye to a walking dead man did you not?"

Mustang stiffened as he thought back to his fight with Bradley in the man's own basement, nearly losing his life but managed to lose lots of blood and his eye instead. The man had taken a long time to fall but thanks to his human son and his skull, the homunculus had fallen in a pile of fire and dust after murdering his own kin even though the little boy didn't know any better. Ozzy didn't blink as the jet black haired man stood frozen under his gaze, trying to fight back the pain and memory of what had happened that night and what came afterward, an unseen but desired aftermath of renewal. The man's next words surprised him, instantly shaking him out of Memory Lane's disastrous pull. "We all lose something now and again. We're no different from anyone else. Proves humanity is at its best no?"

Before the general could answer or even think of responding at all, Evan broke into it all with what seemed to be yet another childish exclamation. But when the other two tensed, they could tell what he said was pure business. "Nasty not here. Didn't come back either! Biiiiig trouble yup big trouble you bet."

"Is this what you called on us for? To find one of them who grabbed somebody? How lame is that?" Ozzy growled but was given a good whack over the head by a miffed blonde woman as her eyes burned with hell's fire. "This is a state alchemist we're talking about here. And he's only a teenager. How can you say that? How can you?"

Ozzy just blinked, rubbing his sore head and stared at the gun woman. "A what now? You understand any of that Gayle?"

"Not really. I've only been here a few days and I still don't get the lingo they have around here. Talk about a real mess if you ask me. I don't even know what 'alchemist' has to do with anything just yet."

Before a major argument could explode with pent up frustration and anxiety, Evan's voice broke through it all as he paced in front of one of the windows behind Mustang's desk, looking like he was about to be sick. "Gotta go now. GOTTA GO NOW! Bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD! NOT GOOD!! Bad, bad, bad, really bad, not good at all. Pain, lots of pain here people."

"Pain? Who's in pain Ev? Who's in pain? Where you gettin' the pain thing from? Lead the way man." Gayle said, trying not to sound too panicked. If what the man was picking up was Al's then they just might be in luck of finding him in a not so hot condition. But if it was someone else's then they were back to square one. Obviously Evan didn't feel like answering any questions but seemed to go with the last command, not even hesitating to jump out the already open window, making Ozzy curse and Gayle shout in surprise. He was already a dot in the distance by the time they reached the open window, vanishing around a corner into the night.

Alphonse didn't know where he was anymore and he didn't particularly care, all he knew was that wherever he was wasn't where he wanted to be. Trying to move his aching limbs, he found that movement was still too painful to do, and crying out wasn't much help either since he'd screamed his throat sore in his fear and attempts to free himself of the thing's grasp. Cold stone soothed his burning skin, his ears almost picking up the sounds of his sweat sizzling to cool water on whatever surface he was laying on. He tried to open one of his eyes only to find that they seemed to be glued shut by dirt, sweat and tears of fear, making him almost ashamed of crying in the first place. He was almost an adult and he still couldn't get his act together. Memory finally catching up with him, he started to wonder why he was on the ground and not being dragged around by the creature like a potato sack. Vaguely recalling a few bits and pieces, the boy still couldn't figure out just what had happened after the thing grabbed him in the basement of the old apartment building. But from what he could bring to mind was how his brother had screamed his name and scrambled after him like a shot from a gun, having reached desperately as past pain and fear had clouded his brave sibling's eyes like never seen by him before. At least that he could recall before the day they attempted to bring their mother back from the dead. Wincing at both bodily pain and mental regret, Al wiped his eyes weakly before bracing his gloved hands against the cold, hard ground beneath him, oddly chilling his exposed skin a lot more than he thought it would.

Finally able to open his eyes, though bleary and unfocused, he came to somehow see just why: while some things were being warmed by fading golden light, the reason for his chill was in the very fact that he was in the shade of some tall structure on the side of the street in the middle of a town or city he knew absolutely nothing about. It wasn't the one under Central otherwise when you looked up you'd see an impenetrable layer of rock, not clear skies streaked with dyed clouds slowly moving with unheard winds. Not helping but feel disoriented and confused Al managed to sit up, his whole body aching terribly, his left leg stinging as though burned by some relentless flame. Gripping the limb and opening his now teary eyes, he found that he'd somehow gained an injury he couldn't recall ever getting. Pushing such questions to the back of his mind, his priority now was to somehow get back to wherever he'd come or get help from locals who just might be willing to help him at all. Taking one real good look around for the first time in almost ten minutes, his grey eyes almost popped out of their sockets at how high and sophisticated the buildings were, reaching higher than high, their glass windows shining brightly in the late afternoon sun. _Wait… afternoon? If that's true then how long have I been here? Where is here anyway?_

Mind abuzz with a million questions, Al instinctively tried running down the street to see if he couldn't find anything familiar. He didn't even get past the second step, pain returning with a vengeance, making him cry out and fall flat on his stomach before he curled around his injured leg while he bit his lip in agony, mind whirling into a hurricane of memories and thoughts becoming nothing more than jumbled images, murmured words and waves of past thoughts all rolled into one nasty package that nearly sent the boy back into oblivion. Forcing his breathing to that of pants rather than gasps, Al let the pain fade before he tried again, this time completely wary of the limb's unexplained condition. Unfortunately he never even got to his feet again when a voice behind him grumbled patiently. "You shouldn't be moving with _that_ leg. Hell, I didn't think you'd be up by now."

Quickly turning in surprise and attempting to crawl away, the grey eyed boy could only look up and see yet another stranger for the third time that day, towering over him as though he were one of the buildings around them. He looked to be in his mid twenties, tall and lean with possibly some muscle hidden away but was otherwise almost stringy looking. Hazel eyes stared calmly down at him, face hidden by clay or porcelain in the shape of a horse, light brown hair falling down the back of his head like a curtain of color to form a small tail. Dressed loosely in what looked to be something close to the blue uniforms he was used to seeing, from Al's view, the man was dressed very much like a soldier; only his uniform was the wrong color. His black boots looked like normal shoes, chocolate brown jacket undone at the collar to show a black undershirt as his hands seemed to be stuffed into two of the many pockets in his light brown and oddly baggy pants. To put things simply, the stranger looked nothing like any soldier he'd ever seen in his life, even if he didn't seem to have any weapons on him at all. Finally finding his voice despite his position the boy finally demanded. "Who- who are you? And how did I get here?"

The man just seemed to raise an eyebrow under his mask and coolly shooting back. "Gee I don't know, I was kinda about to ask you the same thing. But I guess that can wait now can't it?" he kneeled down before the teen, obviously getting a closer look at the boy's leg, who tensed and shifted under the man's intense gaze. "Hmm. You need to get this seen to, but I'm no medic. Has it been like this long boy?"

Bristling slightly at the man's words Al replied anyway. "I don't know. All I know is that I woke up here with my leg exactly as you see it and next thing I know you pop up. Where did you come from anyway? You weren't here a minute ago."

"It's called walking you dolt and this looks pretty deep. Maybe the Lion Lady can take a look at this for us."

"Lion lady?" the boy inquired as the man straightened, stretching his limbs in accordance to their stiffness as he looked down on the teen again. "Yeah that's her nickname but you'll understand when you meet her I guess. She's nice until you piss her off with one thing or another. But I doubt she'd beat the crap out of a guest who's injured no less. You think you can get up?"

"No I don't think so but I can try." He said as he pushed against the ground again, bending his knees and hissed as his left came to life with agony, almost making him fall but was saved when two strong hands gripped his left arm, bringing him up and slinging his arm over his shoulder. Something in the man's voice told him that he was amused somehow. "This ought to work for a few blocks right?"

Al could only stare and blink as the man's eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth, his deep voice echoing from inside the mask as he moved forward, supporting the boy every step of the way. It wasn't until a block or two later that Al really started to feel dizzy and weak, slumping with each step as he tried to keep his eyes open, the sun having already given way to a deep dark blue speckled with white dots. Feeling the man set him down onto the cold ground again, yet another question refused to stay in the back of his mind like the rest of them: what had happened to the thing that'd grabbed him in the first place? Thoughts muggy and drunken, the boy opened his mouth to give the inquiry voice, only to find that once again, he fell into the peaceful darkness of oblivion.

Evan had been running through the winding streets of Central for almost an hour and he still had yet to pinpoint the source of the 'bad pain' that he was so strongly detecting like no tomorrow. It started to worry him that it would abruptly end, making that the end of that. Never reaching a person in agony in time always bothered him, especially when he knew he was closer than close to finding the one plagued by such things as pain or sadness. It just added to the previously existing guilt of his being slow and a failure, unable to complete the job that his odd senses begged him to reverse. He almost skidded on the hard stone street as he took yet another right turn, sweat streaming down his face as he felt himself get closer and closer, making him run harder than he had not ten minutes before. His chest seemed to close within itself, making it feel like he was having an asthma attack but pressed on regardless, not daring let something like that hold him back. Not now, not ever. Blinking sweat and tears of pain away, he saw the sight that his special senses were picking up so strongly: a cart accident where a man was being crushed by his own load of melons, people desperately trying to dig something out. A woman was nearby, being held back by a few neighbors and going completely ballistic, crying and screaming about her son being somewhere in the pile. Dropping down to one knee, Evan struggled to catch his breath before getting back up again, running forward again in time for his brother, Gayle, Mustang, and a few other military personnel came around the corner after him. Hawkeye was about to chase after Evan when a hand grabbed her shoulder, making her turn to meet golden green eyes. "Don't. Let him do it."

"What? Let go of me! Why should we let him?" she barked, staring back at him in confusion, as the man remained eerily cool. "Because he sensed this and the person trapped in there called for him, subconsciously or not. It's his job to find the brat so let him. He just might break your arm if you try to stop him."

Still doubtful at the man's words, the blonde woman just turned back and watched as the man's opposite scaled the large pile of produce and got the attention of a few other people within range, already digging around for the fading life calling out to him. Minutes seemed to become hours but all was well when a shout rose above the din of it all, announcing the find as a small coughing sound rang out, nearly making the woman faint and people to rush forward, lending a hand in freeing the small form. A doctor came forward with his bag to do his duty while others began to clean up the mess that the overturned cart had made. Evan drifted back, looking pleased with himself with a kind smile on his face. "All good?"

"You bet." Evan said, his smile broader than before while his sibling just had the ghost of a smirk gracing his face. The smirk vanished as quickly as it'd come, Ozzy turning to face Mustang. Eerily grim he growled. "Do you have anything we can use to find your missing brat? Anything fairly solid will suffice."

Eye narrowing a little but nodding nonetheless, remembering that Gayle had done the honors of updating the man on their situation in the middle of their goose chase, Mustang pulled out a recent photo of the Elric brothers standing next to each other in full dress and flesh, bone and blood. Except for Ed who still had his fake limbs but he didn't care as long as Al was back in his body again. They could only watch as the man examined the piece of paper, flipping it over time and again, even at odd angles as though trying to find something out of the ordinary. What puzzled them more was when he turned away from it and started to stare at a building closest to them, almost as though he was trying to make it melt on the spot. Slowly turning clockwise Ozzy seemed to observe everything within range, freezing a time or two only to grumble something in annoyance, continuing to turn like before. After a few moments he turned his gaze to the ground, repeating the process, shifting counter-clockwise with his gaze fastened on the stone street and sidewalk in turn. Ozzy finally turned around to face them, shocking all but Gayle and Evan with his oddly glowing eyes of silvery white. "Anything?" Gayle asked, sounding hopeful that the man could produce good news. No such luck.

He shook his head, shutting his eyes before opening them again; his golden green orbs having ceased to glow, his expression grim. "Sorry nothing. Wherever he is it's not in the city, let alone under it. Though very few have characteristics like these, absolutely none of them match this boy at all. That and I doubt the target could've been able to leave the city so quickly with a full-grown teen under his arm like that. Our best bet is this dunce over here." Ozzy said, jerking his thumb at an annoyed twin who snatched the picture out of his hand and whacked the man over the head, ignoring the man's grunt of protest and curses sent his way. Evan's gaze upon the picture lasted a few moments longer, his expression thoughtful with a hand at his chin in contemplation of the basic as well as complex parts of the image. Without a single word he gave a small grunt and started to walk briskly down the street, nearly leaving them all behind as he went.

Ed and Scar weren't exactly having the times of their lives either, especially since they were lost in a city that could've been constructed by gods compared to the structures those of their world were capable of creating. That and they had yet to figure out where their pursued had vanished to with the kidnapped sibling of a certain Elric whose patience was running thin. Predictably it wasn't long until the blond snapped. "WHERE THE HELL ARE WE? WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE AND WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT THING THAT TOOK MY BROTHER?" he roared as loudly as his throat and lungs could humanly allow, Scar trying to keep his own cool in comparison to Ed. "I'm sorry Edward but I'm just as lost as you are on this one. They could be anywhere by now. As for the locals… I've no idea but that's also one of the questions I'd like to ask too. I don't believe it possible for people to just leave a place like this behind for no reason at all. Also considering the height and majesty of some of these buildings I'd say that this area used to be of great importance for some reason. Now the question right now is: where are all the people who live here or at least work here?"

"Yeah I guess you're right on that count. But that's not the only thing that bugs me right now I mean, what are these strange machines sitting on the sides of the road here? What do they run on and why do none of them look the same?" the teen couldn't help but ponder as he approached one of the cars, looking into its interior through one of the oddly spotless windows on the passenger's side, greatly confused on how strangely it looked and how the machine itself could look so smooth and durable yet so mysterious despite its inability to speak for itself at all. While looking in on the seats and leather interior, a flash of shadow in the reflection in the glass brought his attention to the building behind him, making him turn and look at the roof, eyes focusing on what was above rather than around them. "Edward?" Scar said confused and curious, looking up also to find nothing but sky and cloud. "Did you see something?"

"Don't know but I've got a bad feelin'. We should keep moving." The boy said with a growl in his voice, eying the roofs as he turned away and walked forward again, hearing Scar's footsteps following in step with his. They only had to wait another block before their unwanted friend came crashing down on them, having leapt from the top of an eight story apartment building down to the street below, separating the two men by a large crater in the stone street between them. It slowly rose out of its crouched position to stand straight, clothes in poorly sewn rags, skin oddly dark even when engulfed in shadow of the very building it'd jumped down from, a small breeze sweeping through to whiff the smell of old blood and decay over them both, making them cough as it turned toward Ed who was unfortunately alone on his side of the street. A poorly sewn together face, mismatched eyes and beastly teeth glimmering in the light made Ed freeze to the spot. This was an all too familiar sight from the day he and his brother had attempted to bring their mother back, having him lose his limbs and left Al bodiless. He thought he'd lose his lunch if not for Scar coming behind the thing and trying to use his arm's power on it, red lightening flashing in the late afternoon light, brightening up the shadow as the thing somehow dodged the attack, making the Ishbalan strike the ground instead.

It screeched with an inhuman voice, a clawed hand coming around to gauge the man's eyes out, an evil grin on its face as it did only to be lost to Ed finally making a move of his own, using his fake limb as a shield against the creature's assault. The clang of metal on nail rang through the air, making the thing spin around for yet another strike only having to duck out of the way of a lethal blade swung at its head. Glaring and growling in annoyance it back flipped to a few feet away, straightening again before moving quickly in a zig-zag pattern, becoming a blur in their sights as it roundhouse kicking their feet from under them to flip and come down again with claws bare and extended for the finale. Wordlessly the two rolled to the side, heading in opposite directions to dodge the attack once again, Ed nearly getting stuck under a car while Scar just ended up with his back against a mail box, quickly getting to his feet and activating his arm again. The creature seemed to stare at his limb in curiosity but seemed to care less about what he could do and why as it rushed at the man again, not caring what he did as long as it could do what it wanted. Ducking out of the way of the creature's blows and not paying much attention to see the mail box get sliced in half, he grabbed the thing's left leg and let his arm do its job. Red lightening filled the air as the thing screeched its rage and pain into the air, making it slash at Scar's face, throwing the man a good distance away. "Scar!" Ed called in concern and surprise that the older man was tossed away so easily and with so little effort. Turning back to the creature, what they both saw nearly made their eyes pop out of their sockets. Somehow it was still standing like any other person, using the wreckage that was once the mailbox as support as it used one of its free hands to clutch at the severed limb in obvious pain. Glaring daggers at them both the creature simply screeched at them in its rage, even as yet another shadow came running toward it from behind the two and straight at the creature without any sign of hesitation at all. Raising a shining blade into the air, the mysterious figure used that seemingly rare moment to strike.

Cliffhanger!! Oh man this was actually a good chapter if I do say so myself and I quite literally do say so! And it's only the second installment! I can't wait for the kinds of reviews this is gonna bring in and I hope they come soon 'cause I feel a little out in the storm compared to everyone else on this site if you really think about it. Is my writing that bad or am I just not that exciting at this point? Are you guys ignoring me? Hey. Hey… HEY!!

On with the notes already!! Get a move on you slouch! Geez:

…. No notes huh? That's definitely not a first but… I think I just jinxed myself anyway… yeah I didn't feel like changing any names and what have you from my other stories but if you're curious and you don't want to left in the dark you'll find the info at the ends of my chapters in '_Aurora Borealis_' and probably in its sequel too. If you care that is… I'm just sayin' people sheesh. No need to get grouchy.

Next time in '_Fullmetal Dimensions_'!:

Chapter 3: Another Lazy Dog: Friend or Foe?

Scar and Ed meet up with a new friend in the mystery city, who's probably lazier than Mustang! But is he really as reliable as he says he is? Or is he another one of the creepy creatures in disguise? And how will the twin's involvement help both groups find Al, who's been picked up by a friendly face that just might have something else other than help in mind, and figure out what's really been happening lately in Central? Can these oddball strangers really be trusted or are they just smiley-faced pawns in a scheme bigger than anything the Elrics and their military buddies have ever seen before? Find out whenever the hell it is I release:

_**Chapter 3: Another Lazy Dog: Friend or Foe?**_


	3. Chapter 3: Another Lazy Dog

Another awesome chapter's underway here at BLW's Brain, where you find the weirdest of crap comin' out to get slapped in your faces on one of the best sites I've been on yet ever since my parents let me sign on! And there's no sign of stoppin'! Why? 'Cause I don't feel like it! So either read on or don't since well… it's your choice isn't it? Man, make up your mind already! Sheesh. Okay onto business yeah? I don't own Full Metal Alchemist, its content and/or characters and what have you capice? Cause I'm too much of a loser to pull of somethin' as cool as that. Let alone as popular. Yeah Loser Ville here I am.

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

Chapter 3: Another Lazy Dog: Friend or Foe?

The figure had come out of nowhere, and fast. Bringing the sword up then down, leaving a bright arc behind, the creature screeched for the umpteenth time as its arm fell to the ground in a spray of blackish red blood and dusty flesh to match. It could barely stand yet it was still up and kicking despite its condition, using its remaining arm to send the newcomer back much like Scar, only less powerful than before. Not wasting a second for anyone or anything, the stranger was off again, this time making sure to avoid the remaining arm swinging at his/her head to send the tip right into its chest and out of its back, making it freeze to the spot. Silence reigned as the blade started to glow an eerie white light, the thing screeching and howling in agony, clawing at its own clothes and flesh in a desperate attempt to rid itself of its pain but to no avail. With a strong wind and a bright light, both Ed and Scar had to cover their eyes as the light became too much, the gust almost too strong as the scene seemed to explode like t.n.t. on nitro glycerin. When it all cleared, the newcomer hadn't moved, Ed had been sent back almost a block and Scar had somehow crashed into a windshield of a nearby Lexus (1). Luckily he managed to get off the vehicle with only minor injury and very little glass had penetrated the rough fabric of his trench coat as Ed came jogging up from behind him, helpin the man dust himself free of debris. "You okay their Scar?"

"Indeed Edward. Did you sustain any injury?" the man inquired good-naturedly, giving the teen a good look over, only finding minor scuffs and a scratch now and again. The sleeve that covered his fake arm was torn a bit though, revealing the flawless metal plating and how it'd managed to come out of the scuffle unscathed. Reassured of the fact neither was injured in any way, all that was left was the stranger who'd yet to move from where he stood. Curious in as to whether he was still alive or not, they both ran over as fast as their tired legs would allow, hoping that they could give the strange man aid should he need it. A foot or two away from the frozen statue of the man, they stopped to find that he was indeed still alive and in one piece, but committing a strange act of some sort: he seemed to be searching his pockets with his free hand, the other still holding the bloody sword in the other, a motionless form lying on the ground before him like a mangled corpse. Grunting when he found what he wanted, the man finally used the other to search his messenger bag for something completely different, having stabbed the ground with a loud shank, pulling out a small notebook the size of a paper back book, flipping through its pages to find a clean sheet. Kneeling down to rest a knee on the cool concrete and seemed to lean forward as though to examine the lifeless body a little better than before. His back to them still and not even bothering to acknowledge them, he seemed to mumble aloud to himself even though he wasn't alone. "Hmm… middle aged male, about 27 years of age, possibly businessman due to class of dress and lean physique… jet black hair, short and fairly well groomed." Gloved hand came forth to lift one of the eyelids, then turning the head one way then the other. "Light green eyes and has some form of flawless dental hygiene. Possibility of identity confirmation through such records that can be tracked farther back than five to ten years."

The man fell silent again, the scratching of an aged pencil filling the air as he got to his feet again, his back still turned to them before he slowly shifted around to face them, his head bowed over his notebook as he'd yet to even notice he wasn't by himself anymore. His dress was somewhat military but didn't have the strange pants that those in Central had, his boots looking like a hiker's rather than a soldier's, and he seemed to be without a sheath for the weapon in question. Needless to say he looked like a messanger rather than a warrior. But what shocked the two the most was his face, or lack of one: a mask of white clay or porcelain hid the man's face from view as he still seemed to focus on writing things down, a dog's face rather than a human's staring back with dark grey eyes filled with boredom and wisdom giving everything a good look over. The man looked them both in the eye only once between lines but seemed to give Scar a double take, eyes narrowing in curiosity but seemed to let it alone, muttering something about a strange report and other things they couldn't catch. Finally flipping the book closed and putting them into his bag, the stranger easily pulled his sword out of the ground, wiping the blood away on the corpse's clothes before the sword somehow ceased to exist in his hands, calmly facing the two again and said the most unlikely thing they never thought someone like him would say. "Well that was a wild ride wasn't it? Looks like someone's gonna be mighty pissed when they their car's front window's been knocked out though… even I got enough sense to run for it. So where you bad boys from anyhow? Never seen anyone like you lot before. Especially with eyes like those! Them some odd peepers there!" he seemed to exclaim, his words coming out in slight drunken slurs but seemed to be perfectly sober. Ed was the first to respond to the strange man's words.

"Uh… what?"

"Oh for the love of Pete! Since when could two regular civilians in the middle of stinkin' nowhere fend of a nasty like him?" the man slurred in annoyance, his eyes narrowing a bit in irritation and mirth, thumbing the motionless body lying on the ground behind him. "He was a bit of a weak one but no pushover I can tell ya that! I didn't expect anyone to be out here lest get attacked by that stinkin' hunk of flesh neither. And I don't think it's exactly normal for people to be walkin' around with glowin' tattoos or metal arms if you know what I mean."

Ed couldn't help but let his pride surface under this odd demand and shot back at the masked stranger. "Well it's not normal for people to make craters in the ground and make swords disappear into thin air either! Mind explainin' that to us?"

Much to their utmost surprise the man just up started laughing, slapping his knee and holding his ribs in his mirth before he finally chuckled out an answer. "Yeah, yeah you got me there Blondie! You got me there! How's about I take you back to my place huh? You seem old enough to have a beer or two!" he said as he thumped the blond teen on the back, his grey eyes smiling in pure amusement. "You and Mr. Stiff over there can just follow me from here on out okay? Less likely to get jumped by one of those bastards again." He grumbled again in annoyance, calmly stepping over the corpse, seeming to stumble ever few steps as though he'd just gotten out of a bar and not a battle. Ed and Scar could only stare after him in confusion and amazement at how quickly he could change moods in so little time at all. Just as he was about to take a step to follow the man, Ed felt a strong hand on his shoulder, making him turn and find Scar watching the stranger with an intense gaze, the orbs of red having narrowed in natural born suspicion and distrust. "I don't think we should trust him Edward, he could be tricking us into something that will most likely get us both killed and our mission a failure from the start even before it begins. We must be on guard for anything devious he may try to attempt on our parts."

"Hey you two comin' or not? We just might get there in time for dinner so move your asses!" the man called, having stopped to turn around and see that he was without anyone to chaperone, waving from almost a block away for them to follow. Ed didn't know what to think but so far he couldn't help but think that the stranger was a kind and caring person despite his odd demeanor and means of speech. Though the mask thing threw him into confusion, as well as the man's strange ways of dealing with an enemy, he seemed like an okay guy and probably someone worth trusting. Shrugging off the hand and giving the older man a confident smile, he finally said. "We've got no one else to trust out here and he seems okay to me. Besides, why turn down free food?"

Scar was left in the dust as the exuberant blond jogged ahead to follow the stranger before he sighed in defeat and moved his own legs to catch up to the two before they vanished from sight over the hill. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel that something was about to happen… and things were going to get a lot worse than ever before.

--**_In Central_**—

It took Evan only less than twenty minutes to get them to the same abandoned apartment building they'd been at not hours before, standing in the street and staring at everything that was visible to the naked eye. And sadly Mustang was losing his patience and fast since they'd been standing around for a little over twenty minutes. But he hadn't been given a chance to say anything since it was either Gayle's hand, Hawkeye's gun or Ozzy's doom bringing expression that silenced him before a single sound could be uttered from his lips. It was that and the lack of results that was sending the one eyed man up the wall in heavily controlled rage and impatience. Just as he was about to lose his cool and unleash said fury, Evan flinched and snapped his head to the left, up the street and over one of the many hills, watching the abandoned area like a hawk. He seemed to follow something as it progressed down the hill and toward the building, elbowing his sibling while watching the empty space warily. "Do you--?"

"I see it. I'll take things from here." Ozzy said coolly as he seemed to observe something none but them could see. Curious and questioning gazes were sent Gayle's way, making the man shrug and whisper. "I've no idea how they do it but they seem to be able to see paths that certain people have taken regardless of how much time has passed. Evan's sensitive to emotion or pain while Ozzy doesn't seem to notice anything but seems to be aware of everything around him. Ev can see parts of the past but not enough to give him a clear insight to what happened but can help in what might happen next. Ozzy on the other hand, is most likely to be of more assistance when it comes to that than much else right now."

"Yo Gayle! What level was that thing anyway? Looks a bit weak from where I'm standin'." Ozzy grumbled from where he stood, having walked away a little while Evan seemed to come to sit on the curb, holding his head a little, almost in pain. Gayle just shook his head and said. "He was maskin' on me but I was still able to keep up with him until I lost him in the tunnel under the building. Why? You see somethin' I didn't?"

"Maybe…. Just maybe…" the man didn't say anything more as he looked left and right, almost like waiting to jump ahead of an invisible car that might be headed down the street right at him. Slowly stepping his way to the other side he seemed on edge, almost waiting for something to jump out at him to where he'd nearly jump out of his skin, pull out a weapon and shoot it to oblivion. Evan had gotten to his feet by now, though a little tired looking and close to swaying like a drunk, he seemed to be fine. A few minutes passed before Ozzy came shuffling back, looking like he'd eaten something dry and dusty, small bags coming to life under his eyes. "Nothin' here Gayle. I looked in on every plane known to even the biggest idiot and still nothin'. That sick bastard gave you the slip all right but not back here. It must've gone all the way through and disappeared somewhere before you could sense for it." He stopped, looking back, rubbing his chin and eying the area in deep thought before looking at them again with a grim look on his face. "There was something about that thing that just throws me off for some reason… almost like I know him somehow…"

"What do you mean by that? What's he talking about Gayle?" Mustang barked sounding enraged that he was kept in the dark. Everyone knew it was a bad idea to leave General Mustang in the dark about things like this, especially when he wasn't able to keep his emotions in check. Gayle didn't seem at all disturbed by this growled question but still looked deeply concerned. "I had a feeling I knew him but I didn't want to believe it but from what Ozzy's been able to perceive may show that I wasn't as fast on the draw as I should've been…." Seeing confused faces he sighed and decided to explain. "Everyone, and I do mean _everyone_ has their own energy signature. Depending on personality and upbringing each one will vary in size, shape as well as color, even intensity or strength. For some reason you 'alchemists' as you call yourselves seem to have the highest of such energies that result in your ability to bend the worlds' natural materials to you fancy or whatever. It's the same for us only on a different frequency… like a radio only on a far more… spiritual level."

"So you're saying that you're alchemists?" Fuery said in amazement, pushing his glasses a little further up on his face while Gayle shrugged unaffected by this possible sign of praise. "Yeah I guess but right now that's not the point. The point is that all three of us, these two and myself have all been able to perfectly distinguish this 'thing' as someone of former acquaintance, and it seems that there's more to this than we'd care to admit. Even to ourselves."

"Just what are you saying? That Alphonse, Edward and Scar are in some danger of some kind and you didn't tell us about it?" Hawkeye hissed through her teeth in her rage at the man staring back at her with all the patience in the world. He sighed again before he answered. "It's not that we didn't _want_ to tell you… it's that we weren't **_allowed_** to tell you and nothing would've happened had I been more observant and been able to foresee and prevent this whole scandal!"

"It's okay Gayle. We all mess up sometimes but it doesn't mean you gotta beat yourself up about it ya know." Evan said softly, looking a little teary eyed as he stood some inches from his brother, using the man's shoulder to keep from falling over in obvious fatigue. His brother was no better but was doing his best to stay conscious of his surroundings as well as his footing along with the weight coming from his side, slowly pressing closer thanks to gravity's demon pull. "What's the matter with them? Are they okay?" one of the soldiers said in a panic as Armstrong managed to come up from behind the two, putting one under each arm as the two finally went eerily limp. "Nah no worries people. They just need rest. They've probably been up for almost two days with hardly anything to eat let alone time to rest. That and their ability poops 'em out after some amount of use on various circumstances. I guess you kids can take 'em back to your place and find a good place for 'em to rest up a bit."

"What about you? Aren't you going to stay here too?" Hawkeye said threateningly at him, her fingers coming to rest on the cool handle of her gun but was surprised when he didn't even blink as he scowled indignantly at her instead. "Hell no! I got a job to finish and dammit I'll be damned if I let somethin' like this slide right by without a second thought! No I'm gonna kill that bastard myself if I have to." He was about to turn and leave when he stopped and looked back at them, still scowling in his detained rage. "Well? You comin' or are ya gonna stand there all night?"

"What?" they couldn't help but be confused at this man. First he was cool and collected but now he was mad as Hades with no sign of calming down. Rolling his eyes and waving a hand as though to beckon them forward, Gayle growled again in his irritation. "Move your asses! Who knows how long that kid's got! But I can only take two of ya so vote now or never 'cause we ain't got all night ya hear?"

Without another word he stomped off to stand in the broken down doorway of the abandoned building, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched them intently from afar and showing no signs of moving. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, the soldiers huddled together, Mustang instantly making his move. "Hawkeye and I'll go with him, the rest of you'll stay here and continue the investigation as planned. Last thing we need is the public knowing that we've made some progress since more of those creatures could be out there somewhere. Any questions?"

"Just one: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING? WHY SHOULD YOU GO? WE NEED YOU HERE!" the cigarette man exclaimed with all his might, but not to where his voice was ringing off and down the empty street even though everyone else seemed to hold their heads in surprise and agony. The twins however, didn't notice a damn thing and continued to quietly snore like they were on a seriously strong sleeping pill of some kind. Mustang's remaining eye narrowed before he shrugged with a lazy sigh, an exasperated sound just before answering the loudly stated questions. "Because I'm going to drag those boys back here whether they like it or not and I'm bringing Hawkeye with me since I know for a fact that she'll just try to shoot my head off if I refuse to let her along. That good enough for you?"

Everyone nodded before the man turned away, the blond gunwoman right behind him like the loyal soldier that she was, Gayle standing straighter as they approached, looking calmer than mere minutes before hand. "I see. The big dog wants to atone himself in his own eye huh? I don't blame ya 'cause I feel the same way. We all set or do we gotta go to the little kiddies room before we go?" he said in an amused fashion, waving his hands in surrender at the glares he received before turning to enter the old building, chuckling to himself over his own joke. Traveling the familiar hallway and down the old rickety stairs for the umpteenth time, the three came forward to face the still lazily swirling blue vortex somehow floating mere inches away from the floor. Dust and small rocks on the floor created tiny shadows in the odd thing's wake, its eerie glow dimly forcing shadows back to make way for light. "Well here we are: the Black Gate."

"Black gate? What's that supposed to mean?" Riza couldn't help but ask in slight nervousness, now having some insight to the thing's mysterious past. Gayle just shook his head and chuckled softly but answered with the same gravity that was required of him to use. "More like the Blue Labyrinth really. Since it really is blue and more confusing than any puzzle known to man, this thing should be called the Blue Maze for a reason. Especially since those who don't know the way have a tendency to get lost and who knows what happens after that."

Looks of shock had overcome the faces of the two soldiers but soon vanished with the man's next statement. "But this Gate in particular, like various others, leads to only one world at a time rather than many random ones. This Gate will take us directly to where those four have gone and quite literally where the boys and I are from. All we got to worry about is takin' an unwanted detour or u-turn, maybe even meetin' somethin' unpleasant on the other side but still this thing's 100 harmless." He said with a foolish grin on his face, not even bothering to notice that this action did nothing to calm his comrades' nerves, large sweat drops having made themselves home on the backs of their heads as Gayle continued his nonchalant walk up to the strange opening in the air. "Well c'mon now. Can't let you two go alone lest you get lost somewhere now can I? I've been lazing' around long enough as it is anyway."

Heart thumping like mad but somehow keeping his cool, Mustang proudly stepped forward, Hawkeye not far behind as they came to stand on either side of the strange man. Eying them both for a few seconds he smiled in satisfaction, knowing that they were trying to face the fear of the unknown. "Okay. On the count of three, we jump got me?"

"Jump? Why not just walk? Won't that make more sense?" Riza deadpanned from his right, giving him a skeptical look even when he didn't turn to face her. "If we did that, we'd just float aimlessly across the endless cosmos and end up in some wacky universe where cows rule and humans eat grass and not the other way around hmm?" he said, still smiling even when the two had taken on horrified expressions before he managed to wipe them away again. "But I doubt the Maze would do that. This one's an A to B, not A to C or Q or somethin' crazy like that. Nah this'll just take us to where your boys disappeared after I lost 'em like I aught not have. But right now back to business: on three, one, two, THREE!"

Boots scuffed against gravel, dust and stone, cloth flapping as all three leaped with all their might into the glowing entrance, its lazy twirl increasing amazingly fast as the strange mist like essence rippled from their interference, creating a water effect. Next thing they knew, they were floating inside a large tunnel of blues, blacks, whites and grays; all spinning around them as though meant to be some form of barrier of some kind. Gayle couldn't help but chuckle at their expressions, holding them both by their opposite shoulders to keep them from spinning out of control or flying off in some unwanted direction. "Welcome lady and gentleman, to the Blue Maze."

"It's incredible." Mustang managed to whisper, forgetting himself in his awe of this great sight before his remaining eye. Hawkeye on the other hand, was too shocked to say anything, her jaw working though nothing came out. "Yeah well this is the universal highway for ya. So full of surprises." Gayle said coolly with a chuckle, falling silent again as he seemed to nudge them left or right with the flow of the color walls, a strong light shining far in front of them as though to say 'end of the line'. "Here we go! Get ready for a serious landing!!" This was something that they didn't need to be told twice; even if this was their first time to experience something like this, a statement like that seemed almost unnecessary. The end really did come fast as they seemed to pop right out and into… well for one thing: air. Next came the slight whoosh of wind and the ground entrapped in shadow coming up to hit them. Gayle, thinking fast, twisted around, sending the two soldiers to be above him with their backs turned and seemed to vanish.

Not knowing what to do or what to say, the two couldn't help but fall to their fates at who knew what distance was already away from them. But the horrible death they'd imagined never came as they both cried out in surprise upon hitting some squishy surface, making them bounce harmlessly to the their feet. Confused and disoriented they both turned to find some kind of blob before them in the middle of an abandoned street caught in late evening. The strange thing soon began to decline, seeming to fall into itself before rising up to about a man's height, taking on extremely familiar features they now knew to be none other than Gayle's. Solidifying then sighing in relief the man gave them a tired smile. "That was close! Can't have you two dyin' on me now!" face turning grim again he looked up, the two soldiers following his gaze only to have their faces give way to yet another shock: the Gateway was in the middle of the air several feet above the ground, probably high enough for a normal person to severely break a limb and pass out in agony or just die from blood loss and shock. "I hate it when it positions itself like that… pisses me off a whole lot…. And since no one else is here I'd say our other buddies managed to survive as well."

"Do you think they could've sprained something and went off in search of help?" Riza asked, her voice ringing with almost sisterly concern. She'd come to see the boys as her little brothers anyway and there was nothing in any world that could possibly change her mind. "That's extremely unlikely." Gayle unconsciously deadpanned as he continued to stare at the lazily twirling vortex some distance above them before turning away to sit down on the curb, stretching his limbs as he continued. "No one lives in this part of the city anymore. They all moved out in search of a better life or to get away from the one they didn't want to live anymore. Others just died in accidents, murders, or just of disease or natural causes. That and their government thinks this area's being used for special police and military tactics specifically meant for depopulated city zones. Another thing is mainly since a lot of these buildings are too old to live in and were labeled for demolition or renovation. But as long as my people have me stationed here, or anyone else, this is strictly a no trespassing zone to civilians outside the barrier that they don't know exists but comes into affect when they get too close.

"In short: this place is deserted except for authorized civilians, personnel and lots of the things that took one of your boys out from under out noses." Getting to his feet again, a streetlight flickered on to reveal the streets with artificial light, the same happening with those still functional and still capable of shedding their oddly yellow glow onto the concrete below. Gayle was just about to walk away when a firm hand came forth and grabbed him by the front of his jacket and making him turn to face Mustang, who glared with his remaining eye. "You mean to tell me that those boys and that psycho killer are out here… ALL BY THEMSELVES? Why didn't you tell us before? And why tell us all this now?"

Staring back at him coolly, Gayle just straightened himself again and freed Mustang's fingers from his clothes, dusting them off and setting them straight before looking up at the one eyed man with a gaze neither soldier had seen before, but with a set of eyes they'd hoped to never see again: eyes of a cat stared back at them but the color was very different, an enchanting sea greenish blue stared at them with the icy chill of its waters, never wavering and not looking any other direction as though in defiance. "For one thing you didn't ask. The next being that this information only became valid at this very point in the mission and I can assure you there's a truly good reason for what I've said so far: they don't know people like me and that thing exist. Hell they don't know _you_ exist. We're both just something they expect to find in some comic book or fairy tale, not reality instead of imagination. But to them, one like myself is nothing more than a myth and you a silly story to be told to those of scientific importance."

"Wha-what do you mean? And who's they?"

"I mean that we, you and I, are supposedly 'nonexistent' and defy various logics and laws of physics and nature itself. You, for one, don't exist since to those of this world, physically traveling to different dimensions via a portal like the one above us has been deemed absolutely impossible and nothing more than something you find in a fiction book or science fiction novel. And by they… I mean humans."

"Humans?" they were truly confused now. Wasn't the man before them human? Was he a homunculus like the ones from a few years before? Or was he something completely different but just as troublesome and wily? These thoughts refused to disperse, as Gayle just stood silent for a while before answering the hesitant question. "Yes humans. Mortals. Creations that this world helped develop to an overly aware race of hot-blooded mammals that love to think of new ways to solve their problems or make the old ways even better. People with DNA strands that have countless flaws but do what they can to rid themselves of such things even if it does take them a few thousand years to do it. As you can plainly see, I'm not one of them. Merely something of the past that they've long since forgotten even existed in the first place."

Confused again as Gayle turned away to walk in the opposite direction, the two looked at each other before Riza finally dared to ask. "What do you mean by that? Forgotten I mean."

The man stopped in mid-step, not turning around but not going anywhere, staying frozen to the spot for a few more seconds before whispering into the night, his voice echoing in the silence. "We made them forget." Without another word he walked on to where they both had to jog to catch up with him.

It'd been almost an hour they'd been walking and Ed was starting to lose his patience again. Scar was with him on this count but still moved a little ways away from the blond should he explode again in his barely contained fury. The masked man, still walking like a drunk in front of them, skillfully stumbled through the streets as though nothing were the matter and he was just another single man returning to whatever hell hole he was living in after a long night of drinking and partying with good buddies from the bar downtown. Silence except for their footsteps filled the night air as they turned another corner and headed down yet another long empty street filled with fake light from the lamps standing like tall, metal sentinels after hours. The sun was more than half gone, bright oranges giving way to deep navy blues and blacks, white dots sparkling while a single orb of ghost white overshadowed them all as clouds lazily floated along the night sky as though asleep themselves. Ed being Ed, was about to let his rage loose when the masked man finally stopped and turned to them with a happy look in his eyes. "We're here!" he exclaimed in his sober yet drunken accent, swaying a little as though committing some happy dance. Looking around to find nothing, Ed couldn't help but let some of his anger bleed through his calm face, a vein throbbing on his head at the man before them. "And where would that be? Some alleyway where you sleep like some outcast?"

If he was smiling under his mask, it just widened as he chuckled and pointed to a building at the end of the street where the only lights other than that of the lamps warmed the earth with its glow: an inn and bar with an old sign falling to pieces over the door. Ironically called Marcy's Alley. They could literally hear the humor and kind smile in his voice as the man said. "Home of course."

Wordlessly he continued toward the door, leaving the two behind as he stumbled onward, the man and teenager deadpanned and confused. Was he serious? Was this really where he lived? Could they even trust this man when he was so oddly unpredictable? Not wanting to be outdoors all night thinking about it, Ed was once again the first to make a move in the inn's direction, Scar hesitating slightly before staying close behind. But what happened next when the door was opened with a creak of the hinges and the ring of the bell overhead, something unlikely to the extreme occurred: a frying pan, probably big enough to make a good two or three pancakes with, came flying through the air from the left, right at the masked man's head. Ed and Scar were about to shout in panic and fear for the man's safety but the problem was solved for them when he barely even looked and ducked out of the way, making the flying cookware imbed itself in the opposite wall like a throwing dagger, only a **_whole_** lot bigger. Rolling to stand a few feet away from the door, the man turned to the left to find the would be attacker cursing. "Damn! I missed! Good thing you moved ya damn useless drunk!"

These words came from a middle aged woman, probably in her late fifties (and still strong and 'young') standing proudly in a cream v-neck t-shirt, khaki pants with extra pockets on the sides, hiking boots and a apron filled with the most dangerous cooking tools any cook knows all about. Wavy brown hair fell behind her in a cascade, held back by a hair tie in a ponytail, some of it seeming to act like a lion's mane of a sort as she glared viciously at the masked man with sharp hazel eyes. Her smooth face was marred by a look of intense fury as she growled again. "You're late again you lazy ass! Where the hell have you been? That and my nephews are missin'! Mind explainin' that you damn drunk?"

"Heavens above woman! At least let a man talk before ya yell at him! Can't you see I brought guests? Jesus." He managed to growl back as the woman reached for a knife before she paused and looked to the door. She only blinked once at the sight of the two before the seemingly impossible happened: the woman smiled the goofiest smile known to man and exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so before boy? Get them in here! We could use a few new faces 'round here!" with that she happily walked away, around the bar counter to vanish behind a swinging door that obviously led to the kitchens. Not missing a beat the masked man relaxed and waved for the two to enter the building before going over to shut the door and head toward the bar. It looked like any other inn: warm, wooden floors, tables and chairs set some distance apart throughout the room, pictures and some odd prizes hanging on the walls as lights hung low from the ceiling to help the occupants see what was before them. But oddly enough the entire room was empty except for them and everything was fairly clean and ready for use. Scar looked to his right to find a coat racket filled to the max with coats, hats and scarves meant for the extremely young, shoes covering the floor in a sea of string and cloth. Just as he was about to ask why such items were there, a small rumble of stomping feet answered him instead. A door on the far side of the room, opposite the front door, slammed open to reveal a large crowd of kids five to eight years old trying to squeeze through the door to enter the room. Falling over but getting back up again, their faces lit up at the sight of the masked man who seemed to freeze in horror. Voice still a bit slurred but oddly sarcastic, the masked man waved his arms in the air and exclaimed. "Oh no! It's the Giant Army of Monkeys! I'm doomed! Whatever shall I do?"

"Get him!" one of the boys in the crowd yelled and they charged with uncontrolled laughter and giggles as they seemed to pour out like water to totally engulf the man with their numbers, tickling the man's ribs like no tomorrow. Ed and Scar could only watch in confusion as the man tried to reach the bar, gasping for air and retaliating with some tickle attacks of his own. It all finally died down to garbled conversations and constant talking on the children's parts as the man just sat in one of the stools, probably smiling at them as he listened to their stories, waving for the two confused guests to come over. The reaction was instantaneous as multiple heads swiveled and eyes widened to find two strangers standing frozen under their stares. Almost as if by some unsaid command, they caved to create a path between them and the bar, their eyes still staring on with the childish quality that only they possessed. Hesitantly making their way toward the bar and the patient masked man, something in the back of Ed's mind told him that this was going to be a long night.

Some time had passed since they'd lost sight of the floating gateway and Mustang couldn't help but feel anxious about what they might meet somewhere in the quiet night of the dead city streets. The lamps standing tall at the edge of said concrete roads shone their yellowish light onto the paved stone almost halfheartedly, a few broken, others just blinking with nearly dead fuses still struggling to work before the imminent darkness that would befall its designated space below. One couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of how ants would describe 'the day the 'sun' broke'. But for now, it was just plain creepy. Lots of the windows in the nearby buildings were either boarded up or broken, others just disgustingly dusty to where it just wasn't funny at all. The back of their guide remained the same as he led the two soldiers through the maze of stone, glass and metal without uttering a single word, keeping his eye on the road ahead of him almost like he was the designated driver from some party or other even that had gone down some hours before. He was known to pause, stopping mid-step to look in all directions, scanning everything before nodding at them, walking on as though nothing had occurred whatsoever. The silence that hovered over them was eerie and the only sounds that came forth were that of the occasional howling winds, tinkle of broken glass or rustle of leaves on the ground and across the streets, twisting like dancers in the air and across the cracked concrete. They took a few more turns before he stopped once again to smile and say. "We're here!"

Looking left and right, both saw nothing but roads and buildings. But when they looked to the end of the street far ahead of them, they saw faint lights shining out from the lonesome darkness. An old inn with a decaying sign that faintly said 'Marcy's Alley', the front door underneath the only part of the ground floor with a window; the rest of the building itself apparently well cared for since none of the glass was broken or boarded over. Once again the two had to jog to catch up to Gayle since he'd once again already started to walk toward the door, only his step seemed to be a tad bit rushed but just a bit on the cautious side. Reaching the door he grabbed the handle but paused to say. "I'll warn you now since this is your first time: the owner's a real cranky old witch that loves to throw stuff at me when I'm late so be prepared to duck if she's there."

The two just stared in confusion as the man carefully opened the door, taking just two steps inside before flattening himself on the floor with his hands over his head, just in time for a roast pan to go flying through the air where his head used to be. "YOU'RE LATE! AGAIN!!" Mustang and Riza jumped in surprise when a woman's voice roared from the far left side of the room, making the two lean in to see the tall brunette standing proudly with a soup serving spoon in hand with tables of children five and up watching with fascination to how the woman was acting. A dog masked man stood behind the bar, shaking his head as he cleaned shot glasses. Ironically, Ed and Scar were also watching from where they sat as the woman started to yell again. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU? Are all you boys lazy and useless? I had to have Chevy –who was introduced somewhere between now and earlier, so don't worry about it-- and his new friends do your work you lazy, good for nothing oversized snake! Now talk or I'll use my spaghetti strainer on your head!"

"Easy, easy now Ms. Marcy! No need to get hasty! Just let a man talk, will ya? Besides Chevy's not the only one who brought guests. See?" Gayle managed to say from where he lay on the floor, thumbing the doorway behind him. "No can I get up or do I gotta dodge some more kitchenware?"

Much to everyone's amazement (except Chevy's and Gayle's) Ms. Marcy grinned like a fool as she happily exclaimed. "More guests? WELCOME!" Mustang had never seen anyone happier than this woman in his life as she waved them into the room, Gayle picking himself up and dusting himself off before going to the right in search of the roast pan that'd been flung in his direction. The woman started to happily ramble on some more but Mustang chose to ignore her to look in Ed's direction. "There you are Fullmetal. We thought we'd lost track of you again."

"Nice to see you too General." Ed snapped back with a scowl while Mustang just appeared unaffected by Ed's tone. Sitting on one of the open stools after bee-lining his way through the tables full of children who just so happened to be making him uncomfortable with their curious eyes. Riza was obviously thinking the same thing as she made her way to the bar only for the two to be confronted by a pair of grey eyes behind a layer of clay or porcelain as a voice a bit heavy with a drunken slur clearly stated. "Would you two care for anything in particular or are you plannin' to get smashed later like these two party poopers?" the man now dubbed as Chevy chuckled as he gave Ed and Scar the thumb, Scar merely raising an eyebrow, Ed looking up from his plate and gave the man a look that probably promised death. But Gayle was there to save him from being strangled by a certain blond, elbowing the man away with a disgruntled look. "Go get boozed up later! It's your turn to take all these kids home since the twins aren't here to do it now shove off or I'll pretend to be Ms. Marcy for ten minutes."

Blinking lazily but shrugging it off, Chevy just trudged off with a slightly stumbling shuffle around the bar and toward the tables grunting at the children to get up and push their chairs in, herding them toward the door where he expertly assisted the youngest (and the easily confused) with their outdoor clothes. Gayle on the other hand decided to strike up a conversation with the two already sitting in the stools before his arrival. "So _you're_ Ed huh? I figured you to be a tad bit taller ne?"

Ed just scowled with a hiss. "I'll shove this plate down your throat if you talk about that again." Gayle just laughed and waved his hands in defeat and surrender before going on with a look of amusement on his cool face. "No need to get feisty. My pals and me have enough problems as it is and you bein' added to the list isn't helpin' much! Besides! One berserker is enough for me."

"Berserker?" Scar queried with a raised eyebrow, making Gayle smirk at the Ishbalan man. "Yeah Ms. Marcy has a tendency to go a little 'off the handle' sometimes but we're used to it! Especially when you know when to duck if she's really angry."

"And I just might act so pissed if you and the boys would just do what I say when I say it! Now eat up you lazy bum! Can't have you keelin' over on me now." Said woman growled as she came out with three plates of food, setting them in front of Gayle, Mustang and Riza with full sets of silverware to boot. Just as she was about to leave through the kitchen door she stopped, turned, and stabbed an accusing finger at each of the adults that were still there. "And be sure that blond boy there don't get drunk! Last thing I need is some guardian or other gettin' on my ass about lettin' a minor get boozed up a few years too early!"

"Yes ma'am." Gayle said with a strained expression of amusement but sighed in relief as soon as she left the room, Chevy calling over the din of children's voices that he was headed out. Gayle waved acknowledgement and absently poured himself a beer while the noise faded before and after the door was shut with a conclusive click of the gears. Meals were consumed and dishes were cleared away so a cloth could wipe away any mess or dust on the dark wooden surface of the bar. Later Ms. Marcy and Gayle showed them to their rooms, Riza having a whole different side of the place to herself, none of them all too surprised to find that the occupants were separated by gender. Scar on the other hand, found this concept a tad bit unusual but accepted it nonetheless since he didn't exactly have anything in which to argue this point with. Nothing was said as they all took turns using the bathroom and changed into their pajamas. Each had their own room so no one could exactly feel awkward about anything but for some reason Mustang felt awkward anyway. And he wasn't all that sure why. Lying down to sleep in a bed that smelt wondrously clean, the dark haired man couldn't help but look out the window with his remaining eye to gaze thoughtfully at the moon hanging like a lamp with a face made of grey circles and odd formations. Feeling fatigue kicking in for the first time in hours, Mustang fell into a dreamless slumber that only the gentle beams of the moon could possibly produce.

He'd tended to the kid's wounds some time before, and thankfully the bleeding had stopped long before he had reason to panic in as to why it wouldn't. The howling winds and cold air didn't deter him at all as he walked the barren streets with the dead weight of a half grown teenager under his arm. He could already feel the demonic energy that had managed to slip inside of him taking over, meaning he had to move fast or else the teen in his custody would be in more trouble than he realized. There was only one he could depend on with something like this, and he was too far out to get the boy to the inn and its owner in time. He didn't have that kind of time. And with such an innocent life in his hands, he couldn't take that kind of chance. _Maybe she can help me…I'm real close to where she roams and she helped me once before… maybe she'll help me again. No… once is enough and twice is too much…. She'll never take the kid. But I don't have any other options… she's the only one in range and the only one who can give this kid a chance of getting out of here in one piece._ The man stopped and shivered, using his free hand to grip his chest where his heart struggled to beat and his lungs labored to breath, using almost all the energy he had to even stand on his own two feet. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, the man shifted to get a better grip on his unconscious charge, set his dark grey eyes on the road ahead of him, and bravely set off again toward the one part of the city, the only part in fact, covered in an unusually thick layer… of frost.

Sweet saints of heaven this chapter took forever to get down! But at least the ending was good right? Right::panic:: RIGHT?!? Okay that's enough out of me and luckily no notes to speak of… unless you guys want to hear me rant some more about how I came up with some of this crap I post for you all. Just ask when you review okay? I could really use everyone's opinions at this point… and it's kinda drivin' me up a wall here. But for now I guess everyone's ready for chapter 4? Alrighty! Here you go!

Next time in '_Fullmetal Dimensions'_!

Chapter 4: Brother Trouble!!

Things seem to be on the tense side for everyone in the desolate city. And as well as Central! First Winry and Izumi (is that her name? Their teacher I mean. I hope so!) comes to see our favorite heroes only to find two completely different ones instead! And to top things off, their habits and eye popping appearances are turning things in the military base completely upside down!! If that wasn't enough, Mustang, Ed, Scar and Riza have their hands full with a berserker innkeeper, a lazy bum, and a lazy but mysteriously witty drunk with the weirdest herd of kids any of them have ever laid eyes on in their lives! And where the hell is that other guy taking Al and why? Not to mention, just who is he taking him to? Find out in the possibly awesome addition to '_Fullmetal Dimensions'_:

_**Chapter 4: Brother Trouble!!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Brother Trouble!

Yet another chapter to prove that my brain actually wants to work like it should! But yet not like I ought to when I need to get homework done before class…. How redundant is that? Oh well… life's many ways to come and kick you in the ass, and your teachers to be brutally honest with you… at least in my case I'm sure. Anywho! Even if I am a pessimist by nature, getting depressed now would be bad since it's almost Christmas and dammit! I seriously hope to get a laptop! Or at least some major bills to buy some cool books I want to get with. Ah a girl can't help but dream can't she? Okay on with the important crap! I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters and/or content but all the other stuff in here is mine oh mine.

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

Chapter 4: Brother Trouble!!

The morning had come quietly and softly, birds singing their songs as though a part of a chorus in the trees. Or at least that's how it was until all the people within range jumped when a loud crash resonated from the guest quarters near the back of the office area where two cots had been placed so that their new allies could sleep easier rather than in a chair or on the floor. Fuery was the unfortunate one to come onto the scene first, ducking under yet another object to fly that morning, only this time at his head and not the window and such things beyond it. Said object, a clock or other, crashed into the wall with a loud smash of metal and glass falling to the floor in a array of parts and shards glittering in the light. Pushing his glasses back up his nose then running for his life, Fuery left the scene for others to discover much like he had: a cranky man, only in his regular clothes, shoes, coat and hat in a corner and blankets on the floor, golden green eyes sleepily tried to recognize the room while his sibling snoozed on as though completely dead to the world. Eyebrow twitching at his despicable lack of attentiveness on where they were and why, Ozzy sleepily turned to the doorway again to find a few more onlookers, Havoc, Breda and Armstrong looking in with curiosity written on their faces only to have to make a run for it themselves when a fairly large crate was 'tossed' in their direction. Unlike the clock, this item left a square shaped imprint in the stone wall thus making the first shot look like a child's throw rather than a pros. Shuffling to the doorway to glare at the three still standing within range with sleep filled orbs. "Food. Now. Coffee. Move."

His words were cold and demonically clear, so much to where Havoc and Breda ran as though on fire to fulfill his 'requests'. Armstrong, standing his ground, gave the man a disapproving look. "This behavior is uncalled for by that of one of your status. I, Lieutenant Armstrong, request that you--." He never got to finish the sentence as the man slowly turned to him, dangerously vicious anger making his eyes come to life with an unearthly flame. The taller man had to step back from shock, the eyes staring back at him were no longer human in any known fashion, though the color hadn't changed, just about everything else had. For a few moments, Armstrong actually thought that a homunculus was staring back at him rather than a human or something in close relation to one. The man's voice was low but clear as the eyes kept the taller man in place. "I don't listen to humans like you. What you say or think about me or my comrades means that you're either bias or clueless. I can easily destroy this city and all its occupants with a single bat of my eye, and without even having to fully think it through. Do you really want to mess with power like that?"

The bald man only stood frozen as Ozzy up and yawned, his stature losing its stiffness while his expression smoothed to that of uncaring and fatigue, his eyes changing back to what Armstrong hoped was their regular form. Before either could say anything, Breda and Havoc came jogging back with mugs of coffee and what appeared to be white pastry boxes, both men gasping for breath as they handed the items over. Leaning forward a little with a sleepy expression on his face, Ozzy sniffed the boxes and mugs almost like a dog. Somewhat satisfied about something they knew nothing about; he took said items from them and walked back into the room as though nothing had occurred, deliberately kicking his sibling in the ribs hard enough to awaken the man. "Itai! That hurt brother! What'd you kick me for?"

"Breakfast you baka. Now get up. We got work to do remember?" Ozzy grumbled over his brother's piteous moans of protest, which came to a halt at the mention of food. Even though he scowled at the name call, the younger twin claimed his box and smiled at the three staring in from the hall, waving in a friendly manner before opening the package and digging in with much vigor. Shrugging his coat on and shoving his feet back into his shoes, Ozzy was the first to leave the room again with his hat sticking out of one of his coat pockets as he exited the room only to find the crate still in the wall. Raising an eyebrow at this odd sight, not in the slightest bothered that it was his doing; he just shrugged and walked down the hall with his mug in hand as though he hadn't seen a thing. Evan soon followed, only he halted to stare at the box as well to simply smile, grab the crate from two of its sides, and easily pulled it out of the wall like it was some picture being exchanged with a different one. Placing the crate in a corner where it'd possibly had belonged some moments before, Evan exited the room again with a pleasant smile on his face and walked down the hall with a cheerful skip in his step as though nothing had occurred at all. It'd only been over ten minutes and already they knew… today was going to be a long day.

But that wasn't the half of it compared to what was happening a good world or two over from theirs as a certain four were about to have a queer but all about rude awakening. It all began when a child's voice screamed through the quiet halls, small feet pounding against wooden floors as the little girl's voice resounded off the walls with a loud giggle followed by the slam of a door. Blinking in surprise the three men opened their doors to find an empty hallway and each other at their doors. Another door opened not far off, unleashing a small amount of steam to roll across the floor as a tall man walked out with a towel on his head, a pair of green boxers and a tank top that stuck to his skin a bit, showing off well toned muscles hidden underneath. The towel, which was hiding his face, seemed to be able to give the man full visibility nonetheless, 'staring' back at his onlookers with an expression none could see. But when he turned in a certain direction, he jumped as though in surprise, then practically leaped back into the bathroom as though his life depended on it. The door was shut with a slam, the man obviously landing with a thud onto the floor as Riza stood in the hallway with a confused expression on her face. Just as she was about to say something, another scream of laughter filled the air as the cause of the commotion came running down the hall as though set on fire. Much to their amazement, this said cause was indeed a child, a small girl no less than eight years old with light brown hair that fell on her shoulders and light blue eyes to match as she ran in a strange dress of some kind with flowing sleeves, the fabric a light shade of green with pale pink Sakura patterns (1). Slipping past Riza and shooting forward, the girl almost knocked a rather antique looking vase off its table before Gayle, in citizen attire, flew past and grabbed the item before it crashed to the floor in many bits and pieces. He sighed in relief before setting it back down and turning down the hall where the child had disappeared. "Disa (2)! Come back here this instant young lady! Disa! Heavens above its' too early in the morning for this!" he shouted after her as he too vanished to who knew where. Needless to say it was an awkward moment, even if the toweled figure poked his head out to see if it was safe, only to see Riza still standing there and closed the door again in an almost sheepish manner. All was still for a few minutes before Riza finally turned and walked back to her side of the floor, leaving the three males to stand confused at their doors. The bathroom door opened again, a dog mask having replaced the 'disguise' of a towel as Chevy finally exited the room, shutting the door behind him before walking past them toward another door, pausing only to say. "The bath's ready for any of you guys who want to use it first." And he disappeared beyond the door without another word.

Getting dressed and heading down to breakfast, the four found the place filled once again with children, the only difference being that there were a few adults in their midst. Several women chatting with each other and a few men as well, a small number of them in some kind of uniform. A uniform all of them had seen before. Ms. Marcy came from behind the crowd of adults, speaking to them in a tongue none had heard before, nodding and smiling at what were apparently questions as they all headed toward the door. Just as they were about to leave another pair came through, both smiling in greeting before giving way to their departure rather than entering first. The group gone and the new pair before them, a new shock slapped them in the face: one of the men, a tall man with short black hair and dark green eyes stood with a kind smile on his smooth face and only his left arm to speak of. His counterpart, who was skillfully strapped to the first man's back, had honeysuckle colored hair with amber eyes to match and no legs to mention when it came to his height. Arms flapping like makeshift wings, the second man started to bark at the first. "Will you put me down already? I wanna eat!"

"Okay, okay! Keep your sleeves up will ya?" the first man chuckled, a monkey mask in plain view on what remained of his left shoulder as he used his right to get the second man into a chair where he huffed with feigned impatience. But it wasn't until he spotted the four at the end of the staircase that he blew his cool entirely. "What the--? WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE? HOW'D THEY GET HERE ANYWAY?" he screamed almost desperately, pointing a finger in their direction while trying not to fall out of the chair at the same time. Before things could escalate Chevy popped into existence to wave his hands at the man almost as though to calm him. "Chill little man! They're here on official business and you gettin' so hyped isn't helping at all. Now sit there and shut it so you can eat. Sheesh."

The second man was left speechless and watching the dog masked man walk away with his drunken stagger toward the bar where he started cleaning glasses to a specific shine. An awkward silence fell over them, the first man trying to look as calm as possible, even if it did seem in vain after a while. Suddenly the legless man broke it with a bark of a statement. "You. Boy! Yeah you! Red coat! What's with the arm?" he growled as he gazed at Ed's fake hand from where he sat with a miffed scowl on his face that told anyone he wasn't exactly in the best of moods right then and there. "Oh. This? It's… well…"

The man stared expectantly before waving the four over to have a seat, the one armed man doing the same with a kind smile as he pulled a chair out for Riza. She blinked at this gesture but accepted it anyway. In the hopes of making things to be a little less hostile the one armed man spoke first. "It seems my colleague and I haven't been as courteous as we ought to be so I think I'll go first: my name is Nunzio and this is my partner Finley. He's usually nicer than this but I think he's acting this way because our stove is broken and I can't exactly cook like I used to." He said chuckling kindly with a sincere smile on his face while his legless counterpart just scowled as his stomach protested loudly. "Feed. Me."

"Give a woman some time you mongrel! You'll get your share soon enough." Ms. Marcy barked as she came up with a tray of plates, setting it down on a table nearby to pass them out accordingly, leaving with a huff before vanishing into the kitchen while Chevy hid under the counter of the bar. Even he could tell this was going to be a fairly long morning.

Winry stuck her head out of the train's window, laughing happily, her eyes glittering, as the mighty machine came closer to Central's train station in the cool autumn wind and clear blue skies above. _We're going to see Ed and Al today._ She thought with triumph, Izumi, her husband and Rose sitting in the seats behind her as she pulled herself back into the car. "Winry, you really shouldn't do things like that. You might fall out or get hit by something." Izumi scolded with a snicker at Winry's goofy grin and rosed cheeks. Rose just giggled at her friend's expression, holding her two and a half year old son in her lap (whose name escapes me. Crap ). Izumi smirked and looked out the window herself, staring at the fields of green as they steadily gave way to small towers of stone, metal and glass that said they were almost there. The smirk faded a little at the thought of seeing Al in pure flesh and blood again while Ed just seemed to remain the same as before. Little did they know of what they'd truly face upon entering the city of hidden tragedies along with other sinister surprises within.

The whistle blew in the distance as the passengers exited their cars, gathering in the designated areas to claim what was theirs and giving way to others when they did. It was an organized chaos indoors and with a strange sense of order that Winry thought her head would spin right off onto the floor. But past experience allowed her to overcome the shock and confusion in time to grab their things in order to meet Lieutenant Fuery outside the train station with a car that would take them to Central headquarters. Curious in as to why it was Fuery and not Hawkeye, Winry never got the opportunity to ask when she noticed a figure sitting atop the vehicle as though it were a normal thing and not something completely strange at all. Turning to see who was staring at him, Winry's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sight before her: a curious looking young man with brown hair and golden green eyes staring in curiosity back at her. His garb was just as strange but he seemed quite comfortable no matter what he was dressed in. much to their surprise he smiled like a fool and waved. "Hiya! Winry right?"

"Uh… what? How'd you know my name?" the light blond haired girl stammered in confusion as the young man just smiled some more, and in a fashion that seemed perfectly friendly in every way. His hat on backwards and goggles strapped on his head and above his eyes, he looked like someone Winry knew she'd be able to get along with. Or at least until they jumped at a voice that came from behind them, sounding all too much like the first, only the tone was way different. "Evan. Get down from there or I'll push you."

All four of them turned only to jump back in shock at what was before them: the very same young man as that of atop the car, only this one looked really angry about something. And they didn't think they really wanted to know what. Unlike the kind eyes above them, this pair of golden green orbs seemed to be cold and ruthless, completely unforgiving and lacking in any kind of remorse that one could normally see in eyes like his. But with this guy… no such luck. Finally he spoke again in the same cold voice that sent chills up their spines. "Get down from there or I'll break you legs as I do it for you."

"Now, now Brother! No need to get so nasty in front of the ladies. Obviously you need some nap time!" the first twin chuckled as his opposite fumed intensely but he managed to keep his rage contained. "Get. Down. Now."

It was only at this new tone did the first twin comply, edging his way down cautiously as he eyed his sibling in apparent prudence but smiled easily and bowed to the three women as soon as his brother vanished to the other side of the car. "My apologies but my older brother has a tendency to be a bit testy when he doesn't get as much sleep as he cares to get. As you've heard my name is Evan and my brother's name is Ozzy. I'm pleased to make you acquaintance."

Winry nervously waved her hands, stammering that the man's actions weren't all that necessary at all. But Izumi couldn't help but feel that she'd met the man somewhere before. _I know I've seen him somewhere… but where? If so, then why is he here? Just who is this young man anyway?_ Letting such thoughts slide for the moment, Izumi decided then to make a move of her own. "We're pleased to meet you but we're here to see the Elric brothers. So if you'd kindly take us to them that would be most helpful of you." She said tonelessly, standing her ground as the smiling man straightened and smiled kindly at her. "Most gladly but I think we need to get your luggage first."

Perking up at this thought, Fuery and Winry made moves to load said items into the car only to find Ozzy standing next to them with an annoyed expression on his face, his stare sending the two away as he reached into one of his many pockets. All stared in confusion and fascination as he pulled out a small box small enough, both ways, to put a ring inside of. Flipping the lid off and somehow making it a tad bit bigger than it really was, Ozzy set it on the ground and picked up the first item and pushed it into the box as though it were something bigger than it appeared to be. Eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as bag after box vanished with the ease of packing away old memories in one's attic or basement. Coming to the last one, Ozzy picked the small thing up, snapped the lid shut and lightly squeezed the thing to its original size before placing it in his pocket again and heading toward the car as though nothing had occurred. Evan, completely unfazed by all of this, just clapped his hands with a smile and an expectant expression. "Shall we?"

Not waiting for an answer he strode away, stopping only to grab the car door and held it open with a sugar sweet smile and a courteous bow. "Ladies first."

Blinking at these actions but seeing no reason to argue with this show of manner and proper etiquette, the three women saw no other choice other than to accept the offer set before them by the mysterious smiling man and the endless abyss that was his grumpy twin brother. Fuery, taking the driver's seat while Ozzy took the passenger side with his brother between them, they headed toward Central headquarters.

Winry looked surprised, as well as shocked, Izumi looking as though she wanted to kill something while Rose and Izumi's husband hung back for fear of being attacked by the two women. "Ed and Al are missing? Since when!?" Winry demanded, making Havoc and Fuery cower away while Armstrong stood his ground. "I'm sorry ladies but they've been missing since last night and have yet to receive word in as to their location and well being." The man said almost desperately as the two turned on him, Winry with her wrench and Izumi with a clenched fist. Ozzy and Evan however, just seemed to observe this exchange with mild curiosity, Evan having taken to staring at the ceiling while Ozzy was slumped in his seat as though trying to nap. And, of course, his chance at doing so was ruined when Winry practically pounced on them as well. "What about you two? Do you know where they are?" she nearly shrieked at them, making Evan jump in fright and hide behind Izumi's husband but the blond girl's sudden action only made Ozzy jolt, open his weary eyes to glare in restrained fury at her. His expression silenced her as he slowly got to his feet to tower over her a bit.

"We, are not obliged to tell you anything in this situation that will explain other than this: my brother and I are here as safeguards against the darker powers, not deliverers of news from people we don't even know anything about. Now, if you'd be so kind to shut you big, overly spacious orifice you call a mouth so that I can actually _smell_ myself thinking of what to do next at this point and time, that would be really, _really_ great." He paused as he watched the girl stare in horror at his tone as well as his dangerous stare that sent chills down her spine. Not even blinking, he turned away and slammed the door behind him as he left the poor girl frozen to the spot. Somehow snapping out of his daze, Evan was the first to break the tension in the room with what they could only think to be absolute nonsense. "A hundred and one/ by fifty divide/ and if a cipher/ is rightly applied/ the answer is one from nine (3)."

Sitting or standing, it didn't matter, all they knew that the man had just blurted out something that didn't make all that much sense and it left them clueless in as to what he meant as well as why he said it. "Uh… what?" Winry managed to say after a few more moments of silence passed, her words only making him smile then repeat it, proving to make no more sense than the first time he said it. "Don't worry about it Winry. He's been like that all morning. Blurting out lines and stuff that don't quite make sense. If I were you I'd ignore him rather than try and make some kind of sense of it. We've only known them for a good ten hours and they still don't seem to be showing signs of letting anything up at all. That and the fact they're both very much the same is really confusing at best. We have no idea what they're thinking; let alone what they're talking about, not even half the time! It's a nightmare." Breda groaned from where he sat while Evan took to wandering around the room as though following a butterfly flutter around.

Winry would've said something if not for the man suddenly giving Rose a gentle poke in the arm, gave her a childish smile and exclaimed, "Tag! You're it!" and ran from the room as though he were three and a half years old. And unfortunately it was up to what few soldiers that were in the room that were of lower rank to run off and find him before he did something childish. Again. Eyes twitched at the thought of what had been going on ever since the young man had gotten up not a few hours before.

--**_Flashback_**—

_It had all begun with a simple, all too easy question. A question that unleashed an outrageous hell upon Eastern Central Headquarters: "what are we to do now?"_

_Of course the person to ask this was, of course, Armstrong being as to how he was the commanding officer left in charge by Mustang while out searching for Scar and the Elrics. Little did they know the kinds of horrors such a question would release from the deep, innocent depths of a certain young man's mind. Ozzy, out of brotherly responsibility, was about to warn said soldiers of asking such questions in his younger sibling's general direction and what would happen if they did. Finding that he had started to speak a few moments too late, he had no choice but to shut his eyes, bring a hand to his face, and groan in suppressed agony and frustration while the fireworks exploded like mad. Just as Armstrong asked the taboo question, something in the back of Evan's mind clicked to life, and went bonkers._

_Leaping from where he stood, he'd first scaled the walls and the ceiling, thus defying gravity and physics all the while laughing like a wild child on sugar. Somehow getting his hands on a tea tray, he then took the time to slide down the many sets of stairs in the building as though they were hills and not wooden steps used for travel rather than insane fun. Papers were sent flying in his wake, people jumping or ducking out of the way as his laughter filled the halls as though a part of the air itself. Soldiers in the dining hall were sent scattering like ants when he burst into the room on his still sliding tea tray, food and drink, among other items, into the air, on clothes and in hair as he burst through a window to land feet first like a cat into the courtyard to vanish like the strange person that he was around the corner of a nearby building. And Ozzy hadn't even opened his mouth yet._

--**_End Flashback_**—

Ozzy just stood by with a look of annoyance on his face as the sounds of people crying out in surprise and objects crashing to the floor faded into the distance, some of the people who were still in the room appeared to be either confused or annoyed on their own behalf. "Shouldn't we go after him?" Rose stammered in confusion and anxiousness, Ozzy not even blinking as he took a seat in a nearby chair. "Don't bother. He'll come back when he gets lost or when he gets bored. Either that or he'll realize that no one's gonna play with him."

"Aren't you the least bit worried about him? What if he gets hurt or doesn't come back when he's lost?" Izumi said through narrowed eyes, giving the man before them the 'look over'. Of course this question caused something in Ozzy's mind to snap, making him rise and turn on her, his eyes darkened with indignation and absolute fury, a cats' eye rather than a human's glaring back at the older woman. Freezing with a shiver of pure terror, Izumi stood like a statue under his gaze that looked so much like that of a creature's she thought she'd never have to see again: a homunculus. His voice was low due to clenched teeth, but undoubtedly clear and to the point. "I don't have to answer any of your pathetic little questions _human_. In as to what you do or say is irrelevant to me but if you so much as inquire unto me on that subject again… it'll take more than the graces of your almighty god to stop me from taking you apart… piece by piece… by piece. Do you understand me?"

He paused, awaiting her answer, his eyes trained on hers, as she stood frozen in amazement and terror. "Well? **_Do you?_**" he growled in his pent up fury, making her nod slightly in response, but this action seemed to satisfy him to where his face became relatively blank and uncaring again, his eyes returning to normal as he sat back down in his chair. Oddly enough, Evan did return only he somehow came through the open window with the strange smile still on his face, dirt acting as dark colored patches on his clothes and face while his seemed to glitter with the joy of life. "I win!"

Ozzy just shook his head with a sigh, mumbling in response, staring at his now filthy sibling. "Yeah. Yeah you did."

Breakfast finished and the sun steadily peaking out from behind clouds of grey, Nunzio and Finley exited the inn with waves and calls from the hill as they both vanished over it and around a corner. They'd cleaned up their dishes and Chevy had come by the table to wipe it down with a cloth, looking up only once to say. "Be ready to go out soon. We got to find the other boy, remember? I'm sure Gayle can guide you better than me. And I'm only half sober!" he broke off laughing but the joke only seemed to be one he understood but it didn't really matter. To Ed, all he needed to know was that steps were being taken to help him find the only family he knew for a fact he had left. Without a word, the blond simply turned and climbed the stairs, not once looking back even when the other three watched him go. Chevy had paused in his work, also to watch the teen leave with a sad look in his eyes before finishing up and disappearing himself.

Ten to fifteen minutes later, the four were standing out in the cool wind, awaiting Gayle since he was a little behind in getting his niece Disa to be good for once when it came to getting ready for the new day. Finally shutting the door behind him, he smiled sheepishly, mumbling his apologies as he waved for them to follow. "So where are we going exactly?" Riza inquired since no one else was planning on saying anything. Gayle, on the other hand, just simply said. "To where you last saw this Al kid. That and to see if we can't pick up a trail of some kind that may lead to where that thing you fought took him too. My guess is that the thing was planning on taking him somewhere close by so that it and its buddies can do what they want."

"Meaning what? Hey! What do you mean by that? Gayle? Hey!" but the man refused to answer as he walked on, even if Ed screamed at the top of his lungs.

Things at Central weren't any better since Ozzy was being antisocial and Evan… well let's just say he was just being himself in causing all sorts of havoc and chaos on the Eastern side of the city. At first, it seemed as though he were nothing more than a nut case set loose on the military unit when it seemed that such wasn't the case at all: he was just an excessively intelligent guy with loads of energy to burn, and no way to do so except turn everything around him upside down and sideways. Ozzy seemed to be the same way, only his energy levels weren't as high that and he kept his cool until you say something you ought not too. And it's only then that he would blow up in people's faces with the fury of some hundred hurricanes. It was just Evan who was proving to be the friendliest of the pair. Even if he did seem a little screwy in the brains he still somehow got his way to appear as the solution rather than the cause of certain… incidents and what have you. He proved this by helping clean up the mess he created in the dining hall, collected and resorted all the papers he'd sent flying. Some thought he went a bit far in gaining forgiveness for his actions by offering to do something about the stairs he may have damaged when 'sledding' some hours before. Now he was spending his time in a chair where everyone could see him as he sat playing a simple card game with Rose's son, the small boy, despite his age, was getting a real knack for Go Fish and Old Maid. Evan had even tried to get some people to engage in the never-ending game of War (4) but his efforts proved fruitless. But took on the small child instead. Something his brother didn't complain against though he rolled his eyes when the child came close to winning before Evan managed to pull the last card and thus claiming victory.

But all of this was interrupted by a slight shake of the earth, making Ozzy sit up in his chair and Evan become still when he went to draw a card. The two looked at each other, Evan paling while Ozzy's face went unusually blank as they both turned toward the only window in the room. Nearly all in the room had tensed, watching the two rise and peer out the single orifice that was available. "What is it?" Armstrong had to ask when the silence had lasted too long and another shake or two had occurred. Finally Ozzy answered the large man, sounding grim. "They're here. Get your men together. Have them evacuate that area over there immediately." He said as he pointed toward a rising pillar of what appeared to be smoke or dust in the distance.

"What about you two? What'll you do in the meantime?" Havoc asked as he dared light up his cigarette only for it to fall out of his mouth when Ozzy turned on him, his eyes having changed to their animalistic state. "What we came here to do. Our job."

Not having much else to say at the moment, he gripped the window sill and stood up to his full height as the wind blew harder than it should have, making his jacket flap, the slits in the back that they'd never really noticed before coming into being as the wind blew much harder, papers spinning in the air and all around as they all witnessed the most amazing thing known to their kind: out from the jacket and Ozzy's back, come a pair of proud wings of monstrous proportions. Brown feathers with white specks here and there made up their magnificent form, smooth and clean as well as most likely capable of cutting stone clean through. Even Izumi gaped at this as the man turned back at them, his eyes catlike and dangerous looking. "It's time to work. You coming woman?"

Izumi blinked before putting on her poker face as she stepped forward. "Who are you? What are you? And how can you do that?"

"You comin' or not? Or shall I leave you here like most incompetent people?" he said coolly as her face became marred by an expression of pure rage. She didn't need to be told twice as she stomped forward and grabbed his hand as he smirked and stepped off the ledge and onto air. First they went down before he brought them up in a flurry of wind and wing, rising above buildings and streets in a single stroke of limbs larger than a single man's arm span stretched wide. Evan stepped up onto the now empty windowsill, looking back as the others stared in disbelief. "Get ready. Things are gonna get messy real soon."

It wasn't long before he too was off into the air, becoming a moving dot in the distance high above the city.

Ed was glaring at Gayle's back as they walked the empty streets, frost and hints of snow covering the ground and windows around them, Riza keeping her eyes on anything that moved while Mustang walked confidently beside Scar who seemed tense around the two soldiers and seemed to be wishing he was somewhere else. Few birds flew over, singing their songs or making calls to others of their kind hidden amongst the many roofs that was their domain. A cat or two was discovered in groups of garbage cans either fighting or looking for food that'd gone bad long since, all running for cover or trying to stand their ground against their unwanted intruders. Gayle just ignored them as he walked on, barely even glancing their way as he led on through the quiet maze of buildings and signs, poles and busted lights. It wasn't long until some of the eerie scenery started to look familiar, golden sunlight peaking through clouds of grey, white and small pieces of dark grey or even black. Despite the cloud cover it truly was a beautiful day but unfortunately their agenda was a grim one. Another few streets later the man stopped to look up and say. "Here we are. Though how you first two got down from there without getting killed or breaking anything is beyond me but if you want to complain about where this thing's placed then you can just keep it to yourselves. Not my department of expertise."

"Is it going to move? It does move right?" Ed inquired with uncertainty, hating the thought of having to track something like the Gate down.

"Yeah but not in the way you're thinking. This son of a bitch can go from being here to some small town some several thousand miles away in an instant, even as far as the other side of the planet. It's also been know to be found in tunnels hundreds of miles under the earth or in the air. Lucky for all of you it's only a few feet or so."

"You make it sound like it has a mind of its own."

"In a way, we think it does. But don't worry. This one won't be goin' anywhere for at least another month or so. These things have some kind of time delay. Like a train still in its station, or possibly the driver of a car waiting on passengers or luggage to arrive or get on board so that it can leave on time. See the white blurs in the light blue edge of the swirl?"

"Yes what about it?" Riza asked, truly curious now.

"That indicates that this one's a long term portal. It'll hang around for at least two months or, if some are lucky, a good half year before it decides to move to a different location to service the ones lucky enough to find it. If the color just so happened to be grey, brown or even black, then we'd have reason to worry about getting you guys home before finding your missing person."

"So where do we start? I mean how'd you lose this guy in the first place?" Ed growled in his now hard to detain anger, mainly angry with himself for letting any of this happen in the first place. "Whoa, whoa there kid. First thing's first. We gotta get the guy's trail first before we go on the ever delightful wild goose chase that may become our search. Now we know that bastard might've come out at this end so he needs to get someplace that's his territory." Gayle mused almost to himself as he kneeled down, staring at the ground with sharp grey eyes. Mustang and Riza joined him as he used a hand to touch the ground; staring at it intensely as though looking for something they'd overlooked the day before. His movements were slow and calculative as he moved left, then right before going forward some distance away then back until he was behind the portal's entryway. Getting up and wiping his knees off Gayle had to sigh. "There's nothing here. At all! Whoever this guy was he was thorough in making sure no one knew where he went and why. Either that the wind took whatever clue might've helped aloft to someplace too far away to track. Looks like we'll have to go on from here with what we know about this guy. So what'd he look like? How tall was he? Start talkin' because this kids' time is limited."

"You know better than we do! You're the one who was trackin' him!" Ed yelled thus making Gayle blink while Mustang just slapped his forehead with an exhausted sigh.

"Oh yeah. But it still helps to know that we're all looking for one guy and not four separate ones. 'Cause if we're lookin' for like ten different people or somethin' then this is gonna get complicated _real_ fast."

"Actually there've been reports of entire families gone missing from their own homes and the neighbors saying they didn't hear anything. When we went to investigate, each different home was torn to pieces, as though they fought against something. And it's always the same: the pet or some animal is dead having been killed by an explosion from inside the stomach or other organ, the furniture is on its side or overturned entirely. All else is either broken or knocked over." Riza said matter-of-factly, Gayle turning to face her completely, his expression showing confusion and something else undefined.

"And… no one hears a thing? You're sure?"

"Positive. It's what we're told. Every single time. Why? What's wrong?"

Gayle rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing at the Gate floating innocently above them as he spoke again. "There could be more to this than meets the eye. It's possible that some illegal activity is underway as we speak. It's also possible that there might be more than one Gate in the area that's being used for making multiple individuals disappear into thin air."

"How can you be so sure?" the gunwoman demanded, sounding a bit skeptical of this fact. Even if they could agree that this kind of information was sound and plausible, it still sounded a bit too farfetched to be a truly believable fact. Gayle could only throw up his hands as he continued to explain.

"I can't. That's just a theory for now. But as I said, we need to find that other kid before it's too late. Let's hope that someone's apprehended the dirt bag that took him by now."

"And if not?" Ed asked, his face turning a bit pale.

"I'll be stuck behind a desk for a good ten years and your brother to become a mindless zombie until someone else manages to save his ass. And I for one don't want to get writer's cramp this early in my life thank you very much so let's move." The man walked away calmly, leaving them to catch up, heading back the way they'd come not minutes before.

The world was still dark and his limbs felt oddly heavy to him. As much as he wanted to see what was happening he couldn't open his eyes, everything around him sounding to far away and faded, like a lost memory that was trying to come back but too slowly to be seen or heard as clearly as any other. But something in the air felt off… oddly colder than before and he was sure it was more than just nighttime to be this unnaturally cold. He was sure he'd only been out for at least a day or so but this air was more than an early autumn chill in late evening. No it was snappy and numbing, almost cold enough to make it hard to breathe. The person carrying him sounded exhausted, his breath coming in gasps and throaty coughs, his gait a weary wobble that made them both swing from side to side, making him feel disoriented.

For some reason, the man stopped, one of his hands coming to be in a fist as though anxious about something as the air grew a bit colder, the wind cutting through them both as if they were nothing more than paper. The man scuffed one of his shoes on the ground, shifting slightly from one side then to the next, telling the teen that the man was looking around in nervousness. In trepidation to what Al didn't know but from the way the man was acting, he could tell that it wasn't the most welcoming thing in the world for him, or anyone. They remained for a few tense minutes before the man made moves to turn back the way he came only to hear the clear tap of shoe on concrete, faint at first but becoming louder and distinct every second that went by. Al's transporter started to breath a bit harsher, almost as if whimpering in fear but seemed to be trying his hardest to stand his ground against the newcomer. When the new arrival stopped, all went silent for a moment or two before the man spoke out, his voice shaky but clear. "I-I-I've come seeking your help."

He was only met with unbroken silence that was only penetrated by the howl of the wind and movement of fabrics in the air, the man trying to breathe normally but was failing miserably. Another moment passed before he spoke again. "I've done all I can for him. I-I've come to see if you could assist him better than me since I was close to your territory I thought that--. No! No he's no threat! To you or to anyone. No I don't but--. At least let me explain!"

The man shifted his feet, extremely tense now as he continued to speak to the other person. In as to why said person didn't say anything puzzled Al but he was too tired to question such a thing. At least not anymore now that he thought about it. The man had started to plead with the stranger as he felt himself being set down onto the ground gently and certainly not quickly, making him shift and groan since his leg had been moved more than it should've been. From what he could tell, the man didn't notice, but the other person did and seemed to object somehow. The man's words came through to Al's ears once again. "I'm sorry I could not do better but I defended him against his captor and was wounded in ways I'm shameful. I don't think I have much time before their condition becomes mine too and from there only a blade stronger than mine can save me. Please, complete my task! Kill me if you have too but please! I've done all I can and it was not enough. Will you help?"

The silence stretched again before the person moved forward, the man exhaling as though out of relief, whispering praises and thank yous as the person stepped forward, the chill in the air stronger than ever. "I fall by your righteous hand and should my ward be listening, I hope he knows I've done my best and that he live long enough to thank me for my limited services."

Another silence. "Yes I'm ready." It was swift and without sound. All Al knew was that for a few seconds there was true, dead silence, then a light thud as a final breath filled the air. Footsteps came closer to where Al lay motionless but listening intently to all that occurred. The person didn't say anything, but didn't hesitate to pick him up bridal style, using oddly gentle hands as he felt himself being carried away from what he could only imagine to be a grisly scene indeed.

Good heavens to Betsy that took all but forever to finish! And man am I glad to be finished! Twelve full pages of stuff that I hope you guys enjoy as it is or as I go along but I don't think I've reason to care. As long as you guys read and review on how good it is I'm cool with things. But I can say that the reviews are coming in a bit too slow for my personal preferences would care to admit and man do I have good reason! I could go on about this all day but that'd be rambling and utterly selfish so onto other things. Notes! We actually have notes to speak of today! And here they are:

1) _Sakura patterned kimono_: this outfit is, in my mind, cute and all too fitting for out annoying you lady of that particular scene. Even though a large number of my characters are actually of European origin, my love for the oriental seems to mix with it in my creations thus this specific outcome.

2) _Disa_: this name I decided not to change and she's still annoying. But her role has been tampered with to where she's actually a blood relation rather than a random character of frustrating proportions.

3) _Riddle_: the riddle seen in this paragraph is a real riddle and no I didn't create it. Its real creator is an anonymous one but very creative. Unlike most times I feel like giving the answer. It's quite simple when you think about it. '_A hundred_' is actually 'C', the roman numeral for this specific number in question while '_one_' is 'I', and '_by fifty divide_' or 'L' (in-between them), '_cipher rightfully applied_' or zero (0) by adding it to the right, '_one from nine_' thus equaling '_CLIO_' or one of the nine muses of Greek mythology.

4) _War_: a fun but lengthy game of who has the higher cards all the while trying to sustain the upper hand for hours (and sometimes close to days) at a time. A friend of mine had to play this game with her parents for three full days since the weather was so bad. We both learned to play Blackjack and have since then played nothing else. I couldn't agree with her more.

Well this is tiring but necessary so off I go with it. Though I've to be honest in saying I'm sorry for what I've done to Al but I can assure all of you I'm going to make up for it next chapter. Speaking of which:

Next chapter:

Chapter 5: Demons Amongst Angels: Who's Fighting Who?

Al has a new unnamed and faceless caretaker but what's the real explanation behind his or her attitude and true intent? Can Al's fate be trusted enough to be put in the hands of a possible cold-blooded killer who could kill him at any time? and what of Ed and his group? Will they find Al in time or will they face more barriers than ever before? Find out in the next chapter added to '_Fullmetal Dimensions_':

_**Chapter 5: Demons Amongst Angels: Who's Fighting Who?**_


	5. Chapter 5: Demons Amongst Angels: Who

A true mystery for all of you to figure out: how's this chapter goin' to end? Want to find out? Keep reading and all becomes clear as always. Duh! It all begins again people and I hope you like what I put down as I've done many a time before. Thanks once again to for the lyrics of '_The End Is Over_' by Powerman 5000. Okay I've rambled on long enough for even my own tastes, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters or content but all should know that everything else is my crap. Enjoy!

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

**_Iii_** spirit speech

"_iii_" radio transmission

Chapter 5: Demons Amongst Angels: Who's Fighting Who?

"We've been going around in circles! It's been close to two hours now! Are we gonna find anything out here at all?" Ed moaned as he sat on the curb as Gayle just sighed in frustration.

"Won't know that until we try now won't we? So quit complainin and be glad I'm helpin' you lot in the first place. Now shush and let me concentrate, can't find the trail if you're jabberin' at me all the time so shut it. And to think children were annoying." Gayle grumbled, only for this action to make Ed uncontrollably furious.

"I'm not a child! Take that back you son of a bitch!"

"That's not what he said Ed so calm down." Riza warned, even when she knew the teen wouldn't comply with her request.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! MY BROTHER COULD BE DEAD BY NOW! YOU UNDERSTAND? DEAD!!"

"Stand down Fullmetal. You're being insubordinate." Mustang deadpanned only for Ed to round on him as well, plugging his ears against the boy's thunderous voice.

"YOU WOULD KNOW SINCE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"

"If you keep yelling like that you're gonna get us killed so shut it already! Damn loudmouthed blond." Gayle grumbled under his breath only to get yelled at once again.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' LOUD MOUTHED?!"

"He's right Edward, your voluble nature may turn out to be the end of us. It's best that you remain silent throughout the search for your sibling."

"WHO ASKED YOU?"

"No one. Just stating the facts to you Elric." Scar said plainly as Ed seemed to become even more irritated and unstable by the second. The thought of his brother missing without the knowledge of whether he is alive or dead was now truly taking its toll on the boy. Any blind man could definitely see this fact as Ed started to pace in circles, his eyes darting while he yelled some more. "HOW MUCH LONGER HUH? HOW MUCH LONGER DOES IT TAKE JUST TO FIND _ONE_ PERSON? JUST **_ONE_**! I ACTUALLY THOUGHT WE'D FIND THAT BASTARD BY NOW BUT NOOO! YOU HAD TO LOSE HIM AND NOW WE CAN'T FIND THEM! WHAT IF HE'S DEAD HUH? YOU THINK I COULD LIVE WITH MYSELF THEN IF I KNEW IF HE WAS DEAD?"

"Now just calm down Ed, we'll find him I promise-."

"PROMISE? OH YOU'RE PROMISING NOW ARE YOU? WHAT'S NEXT? YOU'RE GONNA TAKE CARDS FROM THE AIR? GOIN' TO PULL FLOWERS FROM YOUR SLEEVE? OR MAYBE YOU'RE GONNA HELP A FISH FLY OUT OF WATER AS IF IT WERE A BIRD!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU! That's quite enough! Sit down and take a breather Ed. You need it more than anyone."

"YOU CAN'T-."

"I CAN and I will so don't push me boy. You tried my patience long enough so here's the bottom line: you don't shut up in less than five seconds, I'll stop this whole thing right here and now and you lot can go home without your missing brother. End of discussion."

"But-!"

"BUT NOTHING. Sit. Down. Now." Ed slowly obeyed, his eyes wide in astonishment, the other three adults backing away as something in Gayle's eyes flared, making them glow a bright sea green. "Now, the next words I want to hear from you are yes. Sir. Do you understand?"

Ed sat on the curb scowling before grumbling. "Yes. Sir."

"Good." He sighed again, turning to stand some distance away, staring at the street ahead of them before turning to look in every possible direction in turn as the silence around them stretched on. But something in the distance caught the man's attention, making his head turn like a dog's to that of an unknown noise. Sniffing the air and squinting to see things better he took a few steps forward, shielding his eyes with a hand as he leaned forward, straining to see beyond what a normal human could see.

**Slip back, slip back in time  
before everything was gone  
can you converse with the universe,  
and let them know that they were wrong?**

It wasn't long before he froze like a statue, his eyes bulging before he snapped himself out of his horrified daze. Taking a few steps backwards he watched the street as figures slowly came into view, crouched and cloaked, picking up speed as they came like a pack of hyenas on the hunt for something to chew on. It was all the motivation to get Gayle moving in the opposite direction.

**It's all over, it's all over,  
so let's do it again  
it's all over, the end is over,  
so let's do it again and again and again**

"RUN!" he screamed, already bolting down the street and around a corner, the creatures starting to speed up to match him. Mustang, seeing the new threat, stood his ground and lifted an arm, snapping his fingers and thus unleashing his infamous flame alchemy upon the beings practically flying across the ground. To his honest astonishment the first in line just swatted the fire blast away as though nothing more than a fly in its face, jumping the last small distance separating them to bring the General to the ground like a sack of potatoes. It laughed as he called out in shock, struggling to get out of its grasp only to find its grip was absolute as it raised a hand to strike the trapped jet-black haired soldier. The hand was like a sword or a dagger, sharp as Hades and unforgiving, the pain of the hit spreading through the man like a chill.

**You take the kill and it won't take long  
I'll take the only thing that's left  
set it up 'cause it's all enough  
to put the endless soul to rest**

Ed went still when he heard the kind of scream escaped Mustang's throat, the man's training kicking in before the thing could get him again, sending it backwards and amongst its fellow decaying peers. It was worse than any of them had imagined: they stood on firm but corroding legs, their stench filling the air and making them cough, covering their mouths with a free hand to rid their lungs of the nasty smell. They'd already begun to circle Mustang, laughing as he tried to get up only to crumble to the ground in pain, his breathing coming in gasps and coughs. Blood was dripping to the earth in a puddle of dark liquid, Mustang already feeling dizzy from the loss.

**It's all over, it's all over,  
so let's do it again  
it's all over, the end is over,  
so let's do it again and again and again**

Scar didn't know what to do. The creatures surrounding them were worse than any homunculi he'd ever encountered so he had reason to doubt they died all that easily, let alone give up without one hell of a fight. He cringed when they jabbed at him with their rusty swords, laughing at his reaction as though he were the funniest thing they'd ever seen. One of them even managed to rip his shirt when it got too close, cackling as it held the fabric above its head as though something extraordinary or all out bizarre in comparison to things it'd seen before.

**There's a chance to leave forever, there's a chance to go for good  
there's a chance that the souls of those left behind  
are the souls of those who should  
there's a chance to leave forever, there's a chance to go for good  
there's a chance that the souls of those left behind  
are the souls of those who should**

Riza was firing shot after shot, getting them in the head, the chest, the arms, the legs, even in the groin and nothing seemed to affect them except what appeared to be confusion and stinging pain. She was shocked to find that none of them hesitated to pull or spit her spent bullets back out to examine them or pass them around, or even throw them back at her as though to mock her. The gunwoman didn't know whether or not she should be feeling scared or seriously pissed off but tried to hold her ground.

**It's all over, it's all over,  
so let's do it again  
it's all over, the end is over,  
so let's do it again and again and again  
it's all over, it's all over,  
so let's do it again  
it's all over, the end is over,  
so let's do it again and again and again, again and again and again  
again and again and again, again**

Mustang could feel things getting colder and out of focus. Hell he could barely see anything anymore and the creatures had already proven immune to his fire attacks having successfully wounded him considerably. He could hear their laughter, barely able to tell if someone was calling to him, asking if he was alright or if he was just hearing things due to his worsening condition. Their smell was filling his nose and making him choke on his own air, already blood coming up to join the bad oxygen in his throat. He could feel his limbs becoming heavy, everything growing colder and colder as his vision darkened and blurred before he lost consciousness, leaving the waking world behind.

Ed couldn't feel his heart beating anymore when he noticed that Roy wasn't moving, wasn't trying to snap alchemic flames at his attackers. Instead he was laying still, eyes closed and blood starting to trickle from his mouth as the blood from his wound was creating a dark puddle on the cold ground. Not even thinking anymore, Ed slammed his hands together with a loud clap, blue lightning released as he turned his arm into a blade, his eyes intent on the creatures around him as he moved to strike. The one in front of him was so confused it didn't have the chance to move aside before it took the first blow to the chest, flesh, cloth and blood flying through the air, the creature falling back with a pained screech. Ed was a blur striking almost from the shadows, cutting limbs and slicing flesh; one after another they fell to the ground writhing in pain. A few tried to fight back against his attacks but were just cut down as if they were nothing more than tissue paper. Riza was firing away and Scar was putting his arm to work, red lightning flashing through the air.

But their true help came with a loud roar in the distance, making all freeze to where they stood, looking around for the source, finding it coming around the corner of the next street with its jaws open wide. A wingless, snake-like dragon, blue almost like the sky, its eyes a blackish blue zeroing in on its new prey. Whiskers floating and horns gleaming in the light, claws and teeth bared, it swooped down with a roar. At first the three thought it'd take them all out, including the fallen general, but what happened next astonished them: instead of taking them all down with its large form, only the creatures were swept away as if by some huge wave had hit them. For the rest it was like being hit by a powerful wind filled with droplets of water, drenching them a bit before the dragon's tail vanished into the distance, a few of the creatures still screeching with indignation, fear and pain. Gayle, who'd been missing up until now, reappeared again with a tired look on his face, giving the standing three an annoyed expression. "I hope you know just how hard it is to do somethin' like that. Man I really need a nap now."

"Y-you mean you made that… that thing?!" Scar asked, astonished that someone like Gayle was capable of such a thing, even when the teen turned to him with annoyance but just answered the question anyway.

"If you want to know so bad yeah, I did. Just feel lucky he was close by to lend you lot a hand in gettin' rid of those things. And dammit when I say run, I mean run. You damn idiots." He grumbled at them with an aggravated tone. It wasn't until then that he noticed something. "Hey where's the other guy?"

Ed was the first to turn, seeing that Roy hadn't moved since the dragon had come through the street, the pool of blood edging to different parts of the ground with its deep red liquid. "MUSTANG!" the blond teen called out, running in the man's direction with Riza on his tail, Gayle and Scar not far behind. Ed was the first to roll him over only to almost jump away at all the blood. It was everywhere, staining his uniform and trickling down his unnaturally pale face, his black eyes shut as his breathing came in silent gasps too low for any of them to hear. Gayle moved around them all in a flash, checking for a pulse in the man's arm and neck before leaning forward to see if he was breathing properly. Sitting up his expression was grim. "He's got a pretty clear air way but I don't know for how long. We need to get him to a medical professional. Fast."

"You know about medicine right? Why don't you do it?"

"Yeah I have some idea about how to fix people but that's just on broken bones and massive cuts! This is… this is beyond anything I know about! I can clean it and stop the bleeding but he needs someone to stick the broken stuff inside back together. Only a specially trained surgeon can do that."

"Then where can we find one?!" Ed roared, making Gayle wince at his tone, but didn't bother trying to hush the boy. Their enemies were long gone. "We could head back and take another street, head east for a few blocks. If I remember correctly, _she_ might still be in the city or at least her territory to deal with an emergency surgery before dark. And right now, that's a big _if_."

"Go back the way we came? And give up on Al? No way!"

"And be responsible for killing this man when you could've done something to prevent this? You sure you can deal with that on your conscious?" Gayle barked at him with a scowl, silencing the blond for a minute, making him stare at the unconscious man on the ground in front of him. Even as he thought about this question Gayle already started to stop the bleeding with the use of some medical supplies from one of his many pockets. Could he really leave this man behind just so he could find the only family he had left? _No! I can't! He's done so much for me. I can't do that to him now._ He thought angrily to himself before taking a deep breath and nodding. "Let's go."

"Okay then. We'll need to choose who carries him and for how long before switching until we get to where we're headed. I'll explain more when we get close to her borders."

Ed couldn't help but nod, Riza not bothering to say anything as the man spoke but Scar didn't feel like remaining silent. "Just who is it that we're going to see?"

"C'mon. We should move before those bastards come back. Ms. Hawkeye if you'd kindly take hold of his shoulders. I'll be down here with the legs until we switch." He said calmly, obviously avoiding the question, everyone giving him curious looks even when Riza moved to obey his request. But Scar wasn't going to let it be. "Answer me! Who are we going to see?"

Gayle still remained silent as he and Riza lifted the unconscious general off the ground and out of the pool of his own blood and edging around it to lead the way back they'd come. This only made the Ishbalan irritated as he moved to stand in the teen's way and growl down at him. "Why won't you answer me?"

"Because it's not my place to say."

This silenced Scar as Gayle once again moved to lead the way, walking around a stunned Scar and off into the empty street beyond, not saying another word.

--**_Elsewhere_**--

Al felt as if he was next to a fire that was warm and pleasant. Only difference was there was not a sound or smell of burning wood to be sensed by any of his five senses. A bit confused, he tried to open his eyes only to find that the lids seemed a bit glued together from lack of movement. Not wanting to give up he brought a hand out from under what he could only guess to be bed sheets to wipe anything away from his eyes. It wasn't long before he managed to get them open, finding a plaster ceiling to be the first he'd see in a while. Blinking in his honest confusion, the teen decided to try and sit up to get a better look of things. The room was simple and oddly bare, only a chest of drawers off to the left, a window to the right and the door on the far left corner. A side table with a lamp sat next to the bed on his right, with the bed being in the middle of the room against the wall. An average room unchanged by an occupant that disliked various arrangements of furniture.

Much to his curiosity, he saw that the door was open but only just a crack, seeming to swing a bit from turbulent air. That explains the temperature in here. There's no circulation. Surprised that he didn't feel achy or in pain, Al pushed the sheets away to find that he'd been dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt, his leg feeling as if a child that wanted attention was pinching it. Confused he swung his legs over the side and stood up, surprised that he could stand, the shocking chill of the wooden floor alerting him of the real temperature of the house despite the warmth in the air. Shaking it off and determined to know where he was, Al put on a straight face and slowly walked to the door as it slowly moved on its hinges in a back and forth motion. Reaching the door while it swung to close itself, he grabbed the handle, the metal extremely cool in his hand, pulling the wooden structure open to reveal a shadow filled hallway.

There were other doors, hidden by darkness since they were shut, one just across the hall, its door open to show a bathroom fully furnished and the light off. To the left was just a dead end with a single door, but to the right was light and what appeared to be a living room. Curious and wary, Alphonse edged out of the room and into the hall, thankful that the air was pleasantly warm still. His feet didn't make much noise on the wooden floor as he entered a well-lit area since two windows to the right let in the dim sunlight. The furniture here was also standard and out of necessity, a pair of armchairs, a large sofa and a love seat sitting opposite. On the walls were paintings of amazing color and majesty, expertly done and with amazing detail. Moving to look at the one closest to him, he edged around the smaller sofa to stare at the picture hanging only a foot or so away. It was larger than the others, others just the size of paper or rectangles. This one was a large rectangular piece that took up most of the free space on the wall and was set perfectly straight in its dark frame made to look like leaves sticking off what appeared to be branches or vines of some kind. Even with all his knowledge of plants, he couldn't exactly tell if it was one or the other but either way, it looked beautiful.

Al had seen mosaics and tile pictures of all kinds in his time of traveling with his brother. He'd even seen some of the most beautiful paintings and other art forms known to man from all around the country. And he could honestly say that Armstrong's antics didn't count despite the man's constant rants about his family's abilities in all areas of expertise. But something in his mind told him he'd probably never find an art piece quite like this one before him now. Staring at it for a minute, he was awestruck by its mere presence on the wall and he'd probably stand there for a couple more hours if something rubbing against his leg didn't distract him. Jumping with a startled yell, Al was surprised to find a cat standing next to his right leg with curious mismatched eyes, its calico fur of white, brown and black appearing to be standing on end but he knew the weather was most likely the cause of this illusion.

"Hey there little one! Are you here to keep me company? You wouldn't know who brought me here would you?" the teen asked kindly as he picked the animal up from the floor, its legs stretching before folding again to accommodate his hold on it. He could only smile at it rubbed against him, purring and batting its tail against his arm, the tip swinging like a vine. Laughing at the cat's antics, Al decided to explore a bit more, heading to the far left where he saw it to be the dining room openly connected to the kitchen, an island counter separating them respectively as a hallway leading to what he could only guess to be the front door. Seeing that he and the cat were the only occupants of the entire house Al moved into the kitchen a bit more, examining the room from a different angle. It was amazingly clean and organized, the table standing with very little dust on its surface while four chairs graced the sides with room to spare should more than four be attending to a meal. But only one of these chairs looked well used, sitting far across the room with the back of the chair curved in as if to try and hug the boy from where it sat as the wooden thing had its own back to the double sink and the window above that.

Other than that it was just a plain kitchen in a strange place that seemed a bit too barren for comfort in any sense of the word. Something about it all just felt… _empty_, devoid of the human touch that could make everything seem even remotely close to normal much else homely and warm. It disturbed Al that it all felt… detached. Seeing no point in staying there for long the teen moved to the fridge, a large device that confused him since his world didn't really have any, especially the indoor plumbing was a shock to his sense of reality. Sure a few places had indoor water systems but not as sophisticated and well thought out like this. Opening the fridge Al was amazed to find milk, bread, eggs, even fruit and a number of veggies in the drawers and shelves, bottles and jars of things he couldn't quite place on the door. He would've examined this a bit further if not for the loud click that echoed off the walls from down the hall. Suddenly alert and wary, Al straightened slowly, staring at the hall entrance, his heart racing to see just who was beyond the shadows as the cat gently clawed its way out of his arms and onto his shoulder with its feline confidence.

Slowly shutting the door to the fridge, Al edged toward the hall as quietly as his bare feet would allow, leaning to the side a bit in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the mystery host. As he peered into the dark with all his might, he still got nothing but black or deep, dark gray in the distance, all but the click of a shutting door sounding off at the end of the hall. Meaning someone had been there, but wasn't anymore. Nothing but silence and mysterious shadows met the boy's vision and ears no matter how he strained to find some kind of life form even when he found nothing. He couldn't help but sigh in disappointment at the lack of discovering the anonymous person hiding beyond one of the doors that due to his great sense of politeness he knew better than to open. Trudging back down the hall he found that his bedroom door was still swinging regardless of being near the wall and wide open. Luckily none of the warmth had vanished which he was thankful for since he felt tired again anyway.

As he shut his door behind him before heading back to bed with his furry passenger in tow, little did he know of the door at the end of the hall opening quietly to stand open a few inches from the door jab, a figure watching the boy's door with sharp eyes before shutting it again.

--**_With Ed_**—

Deep in his mind, he was cursing himself for letting his anger and frustration get the better of him, letting it take control and cause such a tantrum to where Mustang ended up with the short end of the stick. Another mistake he needed to find a solution for, even when he should've learned from the day he and Al tried to bring their mother back. Not a plaything for children to mess with but adults who actually knew what they were doing with their research and their supplies. Things he didn't do when he started out before leaving to take the military's Alchemist Exam after leaving him with fake limbs and a living suit of armor in tow. Before Liore and Dante's attempts to take control of the stone, after Scar destroyed Liore to make the damned thing. There were lots of things he wasn't proud of, things he hated himself for, but thinking back now, he didn't have much reason to take any of it back.

He and Scar were now carrying Mustang between them, Ed holding the older man under the armpits but not in a way to disturb the temporarily healed wound, proof of his mistake on the field. Scar, despite being a cold, quiet person, couldn't help but feel as if he too failed the man between them as well as the teen helping him carry the man. Guilt seemed to totally engulf the boy, making him feel uneasy and a little guilty himself but dared not let it show. That just wasn't something he did, even when around familiar faces. Needing something to distract him, he turned his head a bit to look at Gayle out of the corner of his eye. "How much further Dragon Man?"

Not commenting on the name, Gayle answered anyway, not looking his way at all. "Another few streets and we should reach the border in the next hour or so."

"I see. Where's the dragon?"

"Oh him? He's around. Probably finding a place to dump those sick bastards that attacked us earlier. I'm sure he'll turn up when he's done."

"Hmm." Leaving it at that, Scar decided that walking in silence was best. Riza wasn't far off from them as they walked, didn't bother to say anything as Ed just continued to wallow in his guilt with Gayle silently in the lead. The said hour passed as the man led them along, something about the air seemed to change considerably, the clouds a little darker and the wind had a wintry touch to it as it blew past. Scar felt like he was going to keel over since he was obviously used to higher temperatures but much to his dismay, the more they walked, the worse it got. They could swear that it was lightly snowing it was so cold. Frost coated the ground in a thin white layer, getting thicker as they went along but Gayle didn't say anything. They knew for a fact that they hadn't gone up any hills and they doubted they'd gone above sea level for it to be so cold despite what the season indicated. A few more minutes passed before Gayle stopped mid-step with a shiver before he said in an oddly shaky voice. "We're here."

He couldn't be any more obvious in saying such a thing: the area ahead of them was coated with snow, ice and frost having dulled color and shape of anything beyond them by a few feet or so. What was truly amazing was how still and dead it was, the wind barely able to come along and blow the loose snow up into small swirls in the air, gracefully moving through the empty street. Kneeling down, Gayle seemed confused with something hidden under the new layer that covered the ground so well. "Oh man. Oh man this is…." He paused before Riza moved to look while inquiring.

"What? What is it?"

"Kazuo." Was all he said, leaving them confused.

"Who?" Ed called out, speaking for the first time in a while. Gayle just shook his head but answered anyway, looking puzzled.

"Kazuo. He usually works this area, or at least the one close to this one. A couple of miles off maybe I don't know. Something must've happened to him that he had to come here before us." He said as he stood up, holding something in his hands as he straightened to look around some more. "By the looks of it, he was here not even nine hours ago."

"Nine hours? You mean sometime last night?" Scar asked since that answer meant the most sense to the man.

"Most likely since I know that this… snow comes down in six hour intervals that come down either as light falls or just plain storms. From the looks of it, she held off for a while before making it come down in a real light fall in the hopes that someone would notice it sitting here in the middle of the stinkin' street. Kinda obvious don't you think?"

"I guess but how does that help us?"

"It helps us by saying that Kazuo did something or got involved in a situation too big for him and managed to get here before us, looking for help."

"He could've come to the inn for that!"

"Yeah but my guess that in his mind, that would've taken too long or was too far away for him to get there in the needed time for whatever treatment he needed. Meaning, by these tracks," he mused as he turned, looking at the ground with a curious squint. "He didn't come alone and had to support said person while dealing with his own problem to the point where she could take over."

"Was it my brother?"

"I can't tell. Whoever he brought, he carried the guy here almost like a sack of potatoes. There's no way to tell unless the kid walked here himself."

"So what do we do now?" Ed inquired since he didn't know what else to ask.

"Well… we could stand here and wait like a bunch of fools or…." He paused, as it unsure of what he needed to do or say.

"Or what? What?" the blond demanded from behind the large Ishbalan, looking irritated.

"We could go looking for her but… that might be a bad idea…."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Ed was really losing his patience now as Gayle struggled to answer him.

"Well… the one who lives here… is kinda… territorial so to speak."

It was Riza's turn to look confused. "Territorial?"

"Yeah. No one in, no one out. Unless you need something from her, don't try to get in but work like hell to get out. If she thinks you're the enemy, you're as good as dead if she even bothers with you and these days… that's a big if."

"How strong is she?" Scar asked, a stray thought that he accidentally muttered, and found to be regrettable when he got the answer.

"Strong enough to make snow fall every six hours or so. If not sooner. To us that's pretty damn strong. Opponents dumb enough to fight her here drop like flies and maybe worse when she's somewhere else. She's a killing machine that only comes out when she needs food or new information on what's goin' on."

The other three had paled considerably at this, wondering just what it was they'd gotten themselves into. But there was no turning back now, Mustang needed help and soon. Giving up now or becoming scared wasn't an option. Not anymore. Ed, putting on a face of stone, spoke up into the silence. "Let's go."

"Hold on! There are rules here! We can't just waltz in or we all get a one-way ticket to death's door! Only two can go and one of 'em has to be me since I know this place better than any of you."

"And the other? What about Mustang?"

"He's accepted automatically since he's the patient in this situation. Since there's three of you here, it'd be best if you voted now." The man said as he carefully watched the empty street behind him; another low wind blowing snow twirls into the air. Looking at each other, Riza, Ed and Scar couldn't help but feel like they should go. Well okay maybe no Scar but the other knew it was their duty. Ed since he didn't react faster and Riza since she was a military officer and she had to always be around for her superior should he wake up again. Or at least that's what her military side was thinking but her human side was insisting that Ed, despite his age and rank, should go with the general instead. She'd noticed long since that she had no chance with the man.

"I think Ed should go." This surprised them all except her and Mustang, since the man was still unconscious and unable to do much, the others just seemed to stare at her, a bit confused on why she'd say such a thing. Ed was sure he was hearing things until Scar spoke up. "I think so too. I'm not qualified to be around when he wakes up but maybe somewhere else I can be somewhat useful."

"Right then. You and Riza can stay here until I come back. I'll take the man's legs. Ed? You ready?"

"Huh? Uh… yeah. Ready." He mumbled as Gayle took Mustang's limp legs into his grip, both walking forward into the white abyss ahead, leaving two of their party behind to fend for themselves. None of them noticed the surface of the snow shifting a bit before going still, something in the distance beginning to move their way.

--**_In Central_**—

Izumi was trying not to be in shock as Ozzy took them higher above the eastern part of the city, the buildings nothing more than squares of dark or light colored roof tiles edging winding streets of a storm grey. Another shock was how clearly she could see for miles around as if it were nothing but a whim. Looking at her air born escort, his face was still an expressionless piece of flesh attached to his head that twitched to look a bit grim even when he somehow had goggles on. Where they'd come from she didn't know but these thoughts were interrupted when the teen's twin appeared to her left, twirling and diving around with a smile slapped on his face, letting out calls of excitement and glee as they flew along. Or at least that's what he'd been doing before Ozzy roared angrily at him. "Knock that off moron! We got work remember?"

Evan's smile vanished to be replaced by a pout of disappointment even when he matched his brother's flight pattern. Not far off, they saw a building collapse as dots they knew to be people ran in all sorts of directions even though they were engulfed in clouds of dust and debris. With a free hand, Ozzy pulled something out of one of his many pockets, nodding for Evan to do the same. Nodding back, Evan tilted so he went farther away to the left, almost vanishing into a few clouds nearby. A scratching noise caught Izumi's attention back to Ozzy as he stuck something in his ear saying. "Bird 2 this is Bird 1 do you copy?"

"Bird 1, this is Bird 2. Over."

"_Copy. Adjusting frequency to military channels over._"

"Copy that. Matching. Over"

He seemed to wait a few minutes as he handed another radio to Izumi, who accepted the thing wordlessly since she was kinda riding on his back between his large wings, being held up only by one of his arms. Evan's voice soon sounded off in her ear, a bit loud but amazingly clear. "_Bird 1, this is Bird 2. Attempting to contact HQ over._"

"Copy that Bird 2. Making ready for transmission of mission start. Over."

"_I copy._"

"HQ, this is Bird 1 do you copy? Over."

There was some static before it cleared up to allow Fury's nervous voice to sound off over the line. "_Uh Bird 1? This is HQ. Uh copy, over._"

"About damn time Four Eyes! Where's Big Man? Tough Lady and me can't stay up here forever ya know. Over." He growled almost too viciously at the man at the other end, the line squeaking a bit since it was obvious he'd dropped the mike. It wasn't long before Armstrong's voice came over the link. "_Bird 1? This is Big Man as you've called me; we're sending reinforcements to the affected areas of the attacks. Over._"

"Copy that. Should I just circle around up here or am I gonna get to have some game time with the bastards down in the streets? Over."

A pause with a bit of static was all he got for about a minute or two. Hesitantly but clearly Armstrong sounded off again. "_Sorry Bird 1 but you must wait for reinforcements to arrive to the scene. Please stand by for further instruction. Over._"

Ozzy gritted his teeth and growled into the receiver near his mouth. "Cannot accept order Big Man. Bird 1 cannot accept order. Immediate action must be taken upon the enemy forces. Over."

His response was almost instantaneous. "_Negative Bird 1. Hold your position until ordered otherwise. Over._"

If Izumi could see his face, she knew it'd either be extremely pale or fire red with rage as he silently circled where the fallen building was still clouding the nearby streets with dust, glass and stone. "Roger. Bird 1 over and out."

"Roger." The line went silent again as Ozzy continued to circle, keeping his face hidden from his female passenger. Not bothering to use the radio she spoke up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He hissed angrily over the howling winds, his face still turned away from her as he flew lazily in a soaring circle. "But I doubt the people down there are."

"You care for them?"

"I could give a damn about them!" he roared, turning to her now so she could see. She knew that asking him such questions had been a bad idea. "It's just…." He broke off, as if he didn't want to continue his sentence. But she wouldn't let him stay silent, her face marred with a scowl. "It's just what?"

"It's just… if the enemy you've yet to meet gets any stronger, this world won't have very long to exist. Much else my own. If you know what I mean." This left her at a loss of words before she answered with uncertainty and confusion.

"No I don't."

"Then shut up or I'll throw you off." She heard him grumble at her, obviously pissed that he let something personal come out. And with a stranger no less.

"You wouldn't." in the back of her mind, she had a feeling he would.

"Who's got the wings here?"

"…"

"I thought so. Now can it." He growled as he made his circle a little wider, keeping an eye on the ground and the activity below. The silence would've stretched a bit more if the radios in their ears didn't scratch to life, Evan's voice calling over the line in a deadly serious tone. "_Bird 1 this is Bird 2! We've got problems!_"

"Bird 2? What's the issue? Over."

"_I've got hostiles bearing north and south east! They're everywhere! I think we got Poppers_ (1)"

"Bird 2 what's your position?"

"_A little over ten kilos of your position! Whoa!_" a shriek and a loud boom rocked the city, Ozzy almost stopped flying in shock but managed to stay in the air. "Bird 2? Bird 2 do you read? Do you read, over?"

Thankfully the staticy silence was brief as Evan answered with coughs and gasps for air. "_Yeah… I'm here. They tried to give me the zook_ (2)_. Dirty bastards_." He was cut off by a series of coughs before Ozzy spoke again. "Are you hit?"

"_Nah. A little sooty though, just a bit of ash and dust in my face, not a big deal really. And I think I'm going to be hackin' up a lung for a while. Thus proving how much their aim sucks._"

"Haha good point. Head back for medical assistance. Bird 1 out."

"_Yeah. Out_."

"HQ, this is Bird 1 do you copy?"

"_Bird 1 this is HQ. What's your status?_" Armstrong inquired dutifully as Ozzy spoke again.

"Hey Big Man, Bird 2's comin' over for some bandages and I'm still waitin' on something to do. Do you mind explainin' to me what's goin' on over there? Over."

"_We seem to be dealing with several intruders and are taking much time to detain. I believe that your assistance is required. Over_."

"Finally! I'm on my way. Bird 1 over and out." Without waiting for an answer, Ozzy quickly turned and seemed to jet through the air back toward eastern Central headquarters, Izumi doing her best to hang on as they went. Along the way they saw Evan, trailing dust and smoke through the air not far ahead of them, making Ozzy call out to his sibling. "Evan! Pick up the pace! We're needed!" he yelled over the wind as he zoomed past as the younger twin just growled over the line. "_Shut up. Easier said than done dammit. I'll get there when I can okay?_"

"Just hurry!"

"_Yeah, yeah._"

Ozzy jettisoned through the sky, the building becoming closer and closer by the second, its huge banner fluttering a bit in the wind. "This is gonna be rough!" he warned as he turned a bit to target the parade ground where a large crowd of people ran and collided together, doing their best to fend each other off. Weapons going off filled the air as yells, curses, screams, cries and screeches rose with the winds. "Get ready!" Ozzy called again as they began to close in on the ground, multiple creatures and military personnel looking up to see them coming.

To most, he came out of nowhere as if by magic, crushed a rather large creature that'd stood about a foot or so higher than any naturally grown man. Others could've cared less where the teen had come from except that he was there to help and to them, that was all that mattered. Izumi stepped onto the ground, allowing the teen to straighten while his wings seemed to vanish into his back. The woman couldn't help but stare in shock and horror at the creatures around her, grinning with their discolored and jaggedly sharp teeth as they moved to approach. If their smell of old blood and corpses wasn't enough to sicken her, their forms were: a few were missing arms or hands. One was even trying to get around with only one foot and another with half of his legs completely gone despite his previous condition. No matter how many times they'd been shot by guns and rifles, none of them had fallen except for when they lost a limb or other.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Ozzy yelled over the cackles and screeches of the poorly garbed things surrounding them. People didn't hesitate to drop to the ground, hands over their heads in fright and uncertainty. Wondering why he'd said this, Izumi looked back at the teen only to find the shock of a lifetime: his skin, once oddly pale, was now a midnight black, lines of pure white running down his nose and from his eyes to the sides of his head. Turning to her, she became frozen at what she saw: his eyes had changed as well, the whites having also turned black, where the color had been was now a silvery white with the iris intact. But something was wrong with it, something familiar. Something she'd hoped to never see again. The irises like that of a cat. Almost too much like a homunculus.

Her jaw worked, as her eyes couldn't leave his. All he did was stare back before quietly saying. "Get down."

She knew of nothing else except to obey, quickly lying down and covering herself with her arms as she barely heard him say. "Shadow Pulse Technique activated."

The creatures screeched, their feet pounding on the ground, some obviously moving to stop the teen as he continued to say one more word.

"Purify."

The world seemed to shake, a powerful wind nearly sweeping Izumi off the ground as everything became dark.

Cliffhanger of the century! Man I'm evil! And I'm lovin' it! But still, that was a good chapter and it was about as long as I really, seriously hoped it would be! I just hope it's a good enough read for you guys out there who've been waiting for it to come out. Life moves on once again. And as fun as listenin' to 'Lost Heaven' from the Fullmetal Alchemist sound track almost twenty times, it wasn't as fun as wrapping this chapter up with one hell of scene that may bring us a step closer to finding the truth about our nasty unwanted guests to Central's eastern side. I just hope I get lots of reviews for this. Not a good dream to have. But a dream's a dream dammit! Okay enough ranting! 'Cause we have notes today! How about that? And here they are:

1) _Poppers_: made up term pertaining to how an enemy 'pops' out of nowhere to cause multiple areas to where the response time in dealing with it slows to almost nothing. A serious problem if the source isn't squelched fast enough. Yeah it sucks to be a soldier sometimes.

2) _Zook_: another made up word speaking of how the victim(s) have reported to be fired upon by a bazooka missile while in the field regardless of being air born or acting as a ground force. In Evan's case, he's been attacked in this manner while acting as air support and only got stuck in the smoke of it. Lucky him.

Well that's about it for now people. But there's no need to freak! I'm well on my way of bringing the next chapter to y'all while working on homework that probably only takes what? Five, ten, fifteen minutes to do? Yeah life is hell but it's my hell. Screw it. Here's what's comin' soon:

Next chapter:

Chapter 6: The Siege of Central & Meeting The White Devil

If Izumi isn't having a hell of a time, then Ed and Gayle are about to get loads of it. And to think the nonexistent 'stay out!' sign actually worked. Go figure. Is Al's mysterious host the one and only '_she_' of the dangerous snow zone? Or is it just a superstitious problem that's causin' the otherworldly group some major grief? And where are the creatures that are attacking Central coming from? Can the twins solve the problem in time before more destruction and disappearances take place? Find out in the next chapter of '_Fullmetal Dimensions_':

_**Chapter 6: The Siege of Central & Meeting The White Devil!!!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Siege Of Central

Another day, another chapter ready to be reviewed! I think I just might have some luck in writing these things up, but the reviews are still taking forever to get here! Why is that? Am I that bad? C'mon people! Throw this wolf a bone will ya? Geez. What a tough crowd. Anyway, I should really get things moving along for you guys! I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way or form so just chill people. I'm not that talented yet. But everything else I think you guys should know to be my crap is in here too. On with the show!

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

"_iii_" radio transmission

Chapter 6: The Siege of Central & Meeting The White Devil

Ed couldn't help but feel eyes all around as they went along the snow covered streets of the abandoned city as he and Gayle carried a still unconscious Mustang between them in a eerie silence, their breath just clouds of mist that vanished into the air as they walked. The blond kept looking left and right, still able to walk in a straight line despite his curiosity of his surroundings. Gayle hadn't said anything over the past half hour since they'd left Riza and Scar behind at the 'border'. But something still seemed to tell Ed that there was something out off in the distance, watching with eyes sharper than knives. It sent chills down the teen's spine as they continued to crunch the snow with their shoes, leaving hints of their existence in what posed as the ground. He shifted his firm grip on the older man between them as he took a closer look at the snow to find that he was the only one leaving tracks at all. To his mind, this fact was just plain disturbing and unnatural. Just as he was about to say something about it, Gayle spoke first. "If it bothers you so much then don't look."

The blond stared at the back of the other teen, blinking in surprise as they walked on, Gayle saying nothing more. Almost as if he hadn't said anything in the first place, walking along as if he had been the entire time. Deciding it best not to respond, Ed kept his mouth shut. Silence fell over them again, broken only by the howling wind blowing through the street around them, sending loose snow into the air. Other than that, everything seemed completely dead and still, frozen in time. Literally. Something was off about the place, if Ed wasn't mistaken. It wasn't until then that he decided to say something rather than nothing. "Other than the mystery girl, who else is out here?"

Gayle turned his head a bit to look at the boy, still walking forward before turning back a bit with a look of thought on his face. "Just us I should think, since everything else except loose animals are dead. Another one or two of those creatures maybe but they should be half alive or something compared to us."

Ed had paled but spoke again anyway. "She's that dangerous?"

"No. Well… yes but it only proves how cautious she is. Territories outside this one are almost crawling with those things before someone gets to them but here, there's nothing that moves without her knowing about it."

"Does she have a name?"

He was silent at first but when he spoke again, it was in a bit of a whisper. "I've heard that the creatures call her the 'White Devil' or 'Demon Girl'. Some of the other officers have even dared call her 'the Ghost of the North' since she likes the cold so much. If she even has a name other than the titles given to her, only she knows it. Or at least that's what we think. If she has family, they probably died knowing full well what it was and didn't get around to telling others. Who knows? I certainly don't."

"Then how do you know her?"

"She just showed up. Popped into existence like an innocent flower of death. She'd already started to wear her battle mask when she showed up for anything. If at all come to think of it. Anyone with even one eye could tell that she was used to being by herself even when she joined the military. But from what me and the guys could tell, she was trying to adapt to where she'd fit in and still remain who she was: an outcast. We don't like thinking of her that way but… she seems used to it to where she doesn't care." Gayle mused as he fell silent again. Ed, not knowing what else to say, he fell back into the comfortable but eerie silence. But then the other teen suddenly asked. "Say, what rank exactly is this guy anyway?"

"Oh him?" Ed grumbled, the familiar feeling of resentment filling him up as he scowled down at the unconscious figure between them. "He's a brigadier general and my superior. A real pain in the ass considering how long I've known him."

"Is that so? Well Ghost is _a_ general unlike this guy."

"Ghost? _A _general? What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning she's a higher rank than Mustang but she's about as old as you I think."

"NANI?" Ed exclaimed as he almost dropped the older man in his surprise. Luckily he kept his grip even when his jaw fell like a rock. "I thought she was an adult!"

"Yeah she'll give that impression but she's about as old as you and me I think. We don't know when her birthday is or what year she was born so it's kinda hard to determine. But right now we have to find her first."

"Is it really that hard?"

"If you know her like I do, you'll know it's like finding the lizard in the grass."

"What?"

"Really hard. Close to impossible. But if we're lucky, she'll find us first… and not try to kill us."

Ed couldn't help but pale again thinking. _What the hell did I get myself into now?_ Knowing that turning back now would be pointless, the poor blond had no choice but to get a better grip on his lazy superior and trudge on, the distinct feeling of piercing eyes returning with a vengeance.

--**_In Central_**—

Izumi could hear the dust crumbling to the ground, the wind blowing it away into the eerie silence that now filled her ears as she dared open her eyes to see any possible aftermath of Ozzy's strange actions. What surprised her was that no matter where she looked, she couldn't find him anywhere. Soldiers were starting to move like she had, hesitantly getting to their feet to find both their alliance and their enemy having vanished as if made of the air itself. Almost everything around them was coated with dust and dirt, the place where Ozzy and his opponents had been standing completely empty. A rustle in one of the bushes caught the woman's attention, her reaction instantaneous. Clapping her hands together, Izumi slammed them onto the ground as blue lightning shot out to head straight for the foliage not far away. The earth under them rose in jagged spikes, uprooting the bushes and almost felled a tree as Ozzy, now back to his normal self, rode the spikes into the air with a thin sword in hand. He sliced another of the creatures in half, sitting on his new seat as it turned to nothing but a pile of dust. "I hate it when I miss." He growled almost to himself before he took to talking over the radio.

"Hey, Big Man? This is Bird 1. Hostiles have been neutralized. Requesting further orders at this time. Over."

Nothing but shocked silence met his words before Armstrong's nervous voice sounded over the line. "_Uh yes Bird 1, please wait. Over._"

The teen in question simply sat on his new perch, completely devoid of emotion, as he seemed to comply with the man's words, almost looking bored. Almost like…. _He's just like Ed!_ Izumi thought in wonder but shook herself, not wanting to believe such a thing. _No, that's not possible. There can't be two of the same person. Can there?_

She never got to think it over further as both their radios crackled to life, Ozzy seeming to perk up but only just. "_Bird 1, this is Big Man. Are you still there? Over._"

"Just sittin' here. Over."

"_You've been given permission to annihilate the remaining hostiles. Your sibling should be joining you soon. Big Man over and out._"

He didn't react at first but Izumi had a feeling that the teen was celebrating underneath his cold exterior as he said. "Roger that. Out." As calmly as ever, Ozzy simply stood up and walked away from the scene without a word. It wasn't long until he'd vanished around the building, leaving the soldiers and Izumi behind in a state of shock even when Armstrong's voice called to her. Snapping out of her daze, she adjusted the receiver a bit. "Say again? Over."

"_I think you should come look at this. Over._"

A bit curious and confused, she had to ask. "What is it?"

"_We're not sure. We were hoping your expertise would enlighten us. Over._"

"Hmm. Roger that. Where are you? Over."

"_Southwestern side of the main building. Over._"

"I see. I'm on my way. Over and out."

"_Understood. Over and out._"

The line fell silent as the woman's shoes tacked against the ground, dust and dirt trailing behind her in a soft mist as she made her way around the building. Soldiers behind her started to move again, some still a little dazed about what'd happened but still had the strength and sense to fulfill their orders. As she rounded a corner, Izumi was a bit surprised to find a large group of soldiers gathered around something on the ground, their faces either confused or extremely grim. "What's going on over here?" she demanded as she came into range.

"We were hoping you could tell us that." One of them said, his eyes seeming to drift to the hidden thing amongst them that Izumi had yet to see.

"What?" she couldn't sound anymore clueless.

"Take a look."

Confused further, the woman moved to get past the men in uniform, her dark eyes seeking the source of their tense mood. What she saw there made her freeze as if covered in the world's strongest ice: lying on the ground, in a pile of filthy rags, was Wrath. He was motionless and curled into a fragile ball, his dark hair and pale skin sticking out of the stinking mess. They couldn't even see his face but his fake leg looked to be in good condition despite the situation at hand. "How did—how did he get here?"

"We don't know. We found him like this after some wave thing knocked them all over like dominoes. I've never seen so many, just... _fall_ that fast in my life!" Havoc exclaimed as he watched the pale child cautiously as Izumi was too occupied in some staring of her own. _How did he get here? I thought the Elric brothers killed all of the homunculi! Did they let him live just because he's a child?_ She didn't get to think it over further as Evan seemed to come jogging from around the opposite end of the building with a look of concern on his face. "Is everyone all right over here?"

"Everyone's fine Evan. Don't you worry. We've got things here." Breda assured him with a knowing smirk, the teen smiling back in response.

"All…" he froze when he saw the small form lying still on the ground, the smile vanishing as his face paling considerably like he'd seen a ghost. "How long has he been there?"

"Wha-?" one of them inquired. But Evan wasn't in the mood for answering questions as he yelled. "HOW LONG?"

"Maybe a few minutes. Why? What's wrong?" Fuery asked as Evan stepped forward, looking everyone in the eye as he spoke again.

"He hasn't moved? Not even once?"

"No he's just lying there."

"I see. NO don't touch him! Everyone back up! Back up!"

They saw no other option but to obey, looks of confusion and interest on their faces as Evan moved forward, looking the boy over with sharp eyes. His hands firmly at his sides, the teen examined everything around him and the lifeless form on the ground among other things that was nearest him. Looking to one of the piles of dust, Evan skimmed the ground carefully, obviously searching for something in particular as he approached one of the piles. Carefully kicking at it, the teen unearthed something round and smooth, coated in a layer of the corpse dust before picking it up with two well-placed fingers. It was almost colorless but impossible to see through even when the teen dusted it off with a green tinge to his face but managed to keep his expression clear of disgust and sickliness. He didn't hesitate to come back to the lifeless form on the ground.

Confused on what the teen was doing but didn't have the heart to question him, they could only watch as he knelt down, still dusting the stranger oversized marble off as he did so to carefully pull on the boy's shoulder in order to bring him to lie on his back so his eyes would stare at the sky in a all out daze. Izumi could almost swear that the boy was daydreaming. Almost. Evan, just as carefully as before, brought his hand over the boy's chest with the marble like object in his hand to hover. Within seconds of doing this, he let it fall down, its descent an oddly lazy one as it suddenly glowed to life, shining almost like a star brought too close to the ground while it fell lower and lower until it sunk under his skin as if it were quicksand.

Wrath didn't waste any time in take a gasp of air, his limbs weakly thrashing away enemies that were long gone. Evan only watched before putting a hand down on the smaller boy's shoulder and saying calmly. "It's all right now. They can't hurt you, not anymore. They're not here anymore. Hold still. C'mon hold still now."

The homunculi didn't know what else to do except stare at him and obey, allowing himself to be lifted off the ground into a sitting position. Evan's calm and soothing voice seemed to bring the boy out of his nightmarish visions of terror as the teen gave him a look over much like a doctor would. As the boy sat motionless, Evan voiced his analysis to those closest to him. "Well nothing's broken and nothin's out of place either. Just a little bruised and minor scratches. Nothing time and some common aids can't fix in a few seconds. Other than his being abducted and his soul removed in a pretty creepy way, he should be fine."

"They… they took his _soul_ out!?" Izumi stammered, absolutely shocked that this was possible, much else conceivable. Evan, on the other hand, didn't seem all that surprised in the slightest. "It's a common thing that they use for upstart or rowdy prey, making them remove the soul before snatching the body for whatever the hell it is they have in mind. He'll be a little confused and his movements are gonna be jerky for a bit but I can assure you that he'll be just fine."

"How can you be so certain?"

He didn't say anything at first but the answer came anyway. "I just do. And I'd rather not go into it right now either. Right now, this boy needs to be brought up to speed on what's going on as well as some proper accommodations. Though his physical composition is a bit questionable and he does seem a bit… off so to speak, he'll need the best your people can offer for now."

"Right. We'll get on that right away."

"Oh and one more thing?" he said with a strange tone in his voice, his face a bit grim enough to cause a few confused expressions in response. Armstrong took this as his cue to inquire.

"What is it?"

"Just who and _what_ is this boy exactly?"

The bald man froze, Evan staring right at him calmly even though he paled considerably, just managing to answer. "Uh… what?"

"Don't lie. I can tell if you lie or not. This… _boy_ if you can call him one, is giving off one hell of a weird aura that I've never encountered before. And on top of that, his eyes are purple even though he seems and clearly is perfectly human from every angle you can think off."

"I… I don't know what you mean."

Evan's eyes narrowed dangerously at the group of soldiers around him but decided not to go into it further. "Fine, fine. If you want to keep me in the dark on this that's your decision but as a medical officer I'd be careful about what you do or don't say to me when I ask something. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I may be needed over on the northeastern side by right about now." Without another word, the teen took his leave and soon vanished beyond the building's far corner. Izumi didn't hesitate to scoop the boy up and head hurriedly in the opposite direction, not even looking back as the soldiers jogged to keep up with her.

--**_With Ed, Gayle and Mustang_**—

Ed was having trouble feeling his real arm, the nerve network in the fake one not really telling him if it was aching or not. He was too tired to care since they'd been walking in almost knee high snow for close to an hour when it actually felt like an eternity of endless white. "How much further?"

"Not far now! If we're lucky, we'll be able to reach the spot before night fall." Gayle shouted over the whistling wind that nipped their skin, mercilessly making the teen shiver like a wet dog, turning his skin a dangerous shade of red. He'd been in some nasty places before, but not like this. _And to think he said she could control the weather when things got cold! Just who is it that we're goin' to see anyway?_ He didn't have anymore time to think it over when he noticed that the wind had died down to just a crisp breeze, light snow flakes floating through the air. But it was what was up ahead that really caught his attention: a lamppost, much like the many others around them, glowed vibrantly and gloriously, changing between colors as if it were a living rainbow of some kind. The lamppost in itself, from what he could tell, was completely normal. The light however, was far from normal.

"Here we are. The Lamppost of the Lights."

"Lamppost… of the lights?"

"Like the northern lights. If you've seen 'em then you know what I mean. If not… well that means you missed out kiddo. C'mon, set him here. That's the ticket. Now all we gotta do is wait." He said as he helped Ed set the unconscious man on what looked to be a bench of some kind, covered in ice and snow but still strong enough to support his dead weight.

"Wait? Wait?! How can we wait when he could be dying? I doubt that'll go over all that well back in Central. We have to find that 'ghost' or whatever the hell you called her!"

"Whoa chill out there kid. There are things even I can't do, and that's bringing the likes of her out into the open, not without getting my head sliced off. Unless she's pissy and doesn't want anything to do with us much less wants to acknowledge that we're here. Now just set the poor man down and be quiet or you'll get us all killed like you nearly did earlier." Gayle snapped, sounding almost strained and a bit nervous. Ed quickly shut his mouth and looked away from him, managing not to look at Mustang's unnaturally pale face as he lay on a bench motionlessly and unaware of what was happening.

The wind whistled past them, time ticking by slowly and easily as ever, then two teens fighting off the bitter cold as Ed felt his still fleshy toes go numb, barely able to tell if his sock was wet or not. _I'm betting it's probably frozen by now. _He thought in his misery, shivering as another freezing wind seemed to cut through him like paper. Just as it died down again, it was only then did he truly notice that they weren't alone. Turning around felt slow and sluggish, purposely taking forever to see just who or what was with them.

Eyes of icy pale blue looked back into his golden ones, seeming to peer all the way down to his very soul in a single glance, holding him in place as they observed everything and anything within range. A bear mask of pristine white, free of scratches or stains, made up the newcomer's face as the eyes made him forget to breathe. _They_ _look… so **empty**._ That was all he could think even when they left his to look at Mustang lying on the bench in what looked like a death sleep. She didn't do or say anything even when Gayle cautiously moved a little closer to her, keeping some distance between them. "Hello Bear-san. I'm sorry that we disturbed you this late but… this man needs medical attention and since you were closest…." He fell silent, the girl not moving, as she seemed to stare at Mustang for a bit longer.

What seemed like hours ended in seconds as the strange girl finally moved, nodding to Gayle as she soon moved to get Mustang under the arms. Looking back at Ed in her strange silence, she shifted her head as if saying. Get his legs and we'll go. He didn't hesitate to obey this silent command before he realized something. "Hey Gayle! What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm going to head back and get the others to the inn. You just go with her. She'll help him like I said she would. I'm not supposed to go any further anyway. Good luck!" he called as he did his best to beat the harsh wind at its own game, soon disappearing beyond a few buildings down the street. Ed didn't feel any more alone than before as he turned to the girl who just stared back in silence.

"Uh… where to now?"

She didn't say anything but she did nod toward the street to Ed's left. Taking the hint, the teen moved forward, thankful the wind had died down again. It gave him time to think about the strange girl some more. Her eyes had been creepy enough, but the rest of her seemed to be normal: dark, long hair falling like vines while some of it was braided away in the back, blue pants, black shoes, a navy blue shirt under a dark blue (duh) jacket somewhat like his except the ends of the sleeves seemed to be a bit wider and the bottom came up to the bottom of her ribs. And almost as if due to the weather, she wore a navy blue scarf that looked two sizes too big. She didn't seem to have any weapons like he'd seen Gayle and Chevy carry around, much less a bag of any kind. _Maybe it's because she practically owns the place to where she doesn't need to carry around stuff like that._ He thought, that in itself justifying the observation.

It wasn't until he heard a weird click did he stop in his confusion, turning around when he heard it again. The girl stared at him, somehow making the noise again before nodding toward a street to his left. A little baffled, the teen did as 'instructed', going a good block before she clicked at him again, this time nodded to the right. Still confused on why the girl didn't say anything, he didn't seem to have much of a choice but to accept this strange noise as a means to say 'hey look at me. You need to go that way now'. The walk itself was quiet and uneventful other than the occasional clicks and nods sent his way as they went along, taking on several inches worth of snow, slush, frost and ice coating the streets. But somewhere along the line, the girl clicked. Not at a street corner but in the middle of a street. Looking back at her, Ed saw her move toward a door on the right, leading into an average apartment building that didn't look run down or overly weatherworn.

She kicked the door open before kicking it shut once the teen was inside. Before heading up the many stairs, the girl turned around so that the man's head rested in the middle of her back, nodding for Ed to do the same. If she noticed the patch of red spreading across his face as he complied, she didn't give any indication as she turned away and took the first step. The blond was astonished that the old wood didn't bend and creak under her weight as she kept walking, cringing when his own foot landed on the step to where it whined against the alien burden being put upon it. Only when she didn't wait for him did he pick up his pace, trying not to let the creaking noise get to him as they went.

Around the eighth floor, instead of going further up, the girl veered off to head toward a door at the far end of the hall, light from on of the windows shining out from under the wooden barrier. Giving it a slight push with her foot, it swung open wide enough for all of them to enter. She didn't bother closing it this time as she quickened her pace, forcing Ed to briskly walk with her down a hall to the right into what was apparently a guest bedroom that hadn't been used but was very clean. Leaving the teen behind, the girl briskly walked back out to enter the rest room only to come back with a metal white box with a red cross on the lid. Snapping it open after setting it down on the bedside table and sifting a bit through the contents, the girl was quick to remove the unconscious man's coat and shirt before tossing them in Ed's direction.

Taken off guard and trying to hide his now deep blush, Ed managed to catch the garments that were sent his way, a bit cold and stiff, some of it darkened by the man's own blood as well as the unnatural snow fall outside. Another reminder of how stupid he'd been back when the creatures had appeared so quickly to where he didn't have time to actually think about strategy. Much less about defending his friends from harm. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud click, the girl giving him what he could only guess to be a glare as she pointed to a chair nearby before waving him over. Taking the hint, Ed set the clothes on the chair before heading toward the bed. Moving over a bit so he could stand close enough, the masked girl held out the man's limp arm to him as if to say 'hold this'.

Having nothing better to do but to oblige, Ed felt a bit foolish holding the older man's arm in the air as if to help him stand up even though he wasn't even awake to do such a thing. But the girl didn't seem bothered at all as she continued her work, having done something he'd completely missed to the wound itself and was now giving it a whole new bandage. Quickly finishing this task, she left Ed standing by the bed; arm still in hand and in the air to look through the chest of drawers to pull out what appeared to be a new set of clothes from one of the slots. Coming back, it was a fairly easy job to get the shirt on, but when the girl went to take the rest of Mustang's clothes off, Ed couldn't help but protest. "Whoa, whoa! Shouldn't we wait until he's awake or something?"

The girl's only response was to stop and look at him, still saying nothing as she abruptly shoved him out of the room, shutting the door behind him with an irritated finality that he only knew his teacher Izumi to have. Left out in the oddly chilly hallway, Ed found himself in an eerie darkness only broken by the lights from windows coming out from under the doors. The floors seemed to be made of dark mahogany, the walls having been painted a deep blue to where they were almost black due to the lack of proper lighting. What he could tell to the most lighted area of the house was the living room beyond the dark passage of a hall, which to him felt more like the tunnel to a cave than anything to be a hallway. Shuffling into the thankfully bright room, Ed plopped onto one of the couches and before he knew it, he'd closed his eyes and dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

--**_An Hour Earlier_**—

Gayle had run through the snow as fast as his tired legs would allow, hoping that Riza and Scar would be right where he left them, waiting for someone to come back from beyond the white sheet of silence. Turning a familiar corner, he saw the two perk up at his reappearance as he came to jog closer before stopping a few feet away, using his knees as support in order to catch his breath. It didn't take Riza long to ask what he knew one of them would. "Where's Edward? And where's General Mustang?"

"Like I said. Only two Riza-san." He managed to say between pants. It seemed this answer wasn't good enough for her as she quickly pointed her revolver at his head, making him fall still but not enough to where he'd stopped trying to breathe. "I'll ask you again. Where are Edward and the general?"

"And I told you, only two. Since I was the escort, I counted only until I got them to the meeting place. There is where Mustang became the second person who could be admitted under her care. Ed counts as the first since he did help carry the guy."

"So you didn't leave them behind."

"If you put it that way, then no I didn't leave them behind. I just left them in the hands of someone of a higher rank than me."

"Higher rank?"

"You bet. Why else would I bring them here? That chick in there's got more brains than two kid geniuses put together. With room to spare! I'm sure if she took some of your tests, her scores would be off the charts. Now you gonna get that thing outta my face or are you gonna shoot me anyway?"

Blinking, Riza had forgotten why she'd had her gun out in the first place and put it away before she set it off. Gayle, seeing the weapon out of his face, started to take in deeper breaths again before finally standing straight. Red eyes brought his attention to Scar giving him a curious look. "What?"

"What do you mean by higher rank? How high up is this woman?"

"Oh Ghost? She's about my age but she's a general. Why?"

"A general?"

"Not like that Mustang guy. She's higher than him."

"By how much?"

He thought this over before saying easily. "A lot."

--**_In Central_**—

To be honest, Wrath had the all the reasons to be confused. Izumi and Sig weren't very far off to make sure the homunculi child wasn't too lost in all the ruckus that was going on outside. Evan had popped in a few times to make sure that the boy was functioning properly, giving the boy's fake limbs a few curious looks but refrained from being too straightforward about them. He'd already told a number of people that he'd never seen such things before and was trying not to do anything that would offend anyone on the subject. Needless to say it fascinated him, but not the point of becoming the interrogator rather than the curious observer.

So he put himself on the far side of the room, playing 'Patty Cake' with Black Hayate or just silently watching as soldiers went around with papers or other such items of certain value. A few had asked him where his brother was and his response was always the same: "he's out there, in the field getting rid of your new problem. He's obviously holding back or this whole city would be nothing but dust by now."

This had caused some to stare at him with incredulity, others blanching as if horrified not only by how calmly he'd said it, but the remarkably casual manner he explained it in. Something very few had been known to be able to do, much less capable of achieving with such a straight face. But no one questioned this answer for fear of getting something weirder or just as horrifying. And so far, nothing else had happened since.

Ozzy came back about half an hour later, looking a little miffed and covered in various layers of dust and dirt but didn't seem to notice as he stomped his way through the halls, leaving a misty trail behind him. Unceremoniously slamming the door to the office open and not bothering to shut it as he entered the room. Wrath, who'd been next to Izumi on the far side of the room, could only watch with curious purple eyes as cold gold green eyes turned on him with an unusual hostility. He shivered as said eyes looked deep down within him before looking away a few seconds later as he moved to sit next to his cleaner and much more cheerful double.

It wasn't long before Armstrong burst into the room with his 'GENTLEMEN!' routine to make a number of them jump in surprise. Even Izumi and Sig were caught off guard by this unusual greeting. Ozzy on the other hand, didn't move at all as the man saw that both twins were present and accounted for. "Ozzy, my good friend! What do you have to report?"

"Hn. Only that the threat has been dealt with for the time being. In as to how they got here and in such numbers has yet to be determined, but the proper action that must be taken is quite clear: we have to find the source of these things and nip it at the bud before things get too out of control. But that requires telling the higher authorities of the situation."

"I don't think the Council would-." The teen was quick to cut the larger man off before he could say more.

"Not yours. Mine. The authorities of my world and its people are the ones we require to be informed on this matter, not yours. Your world probably can't handle something of this magnitude and I doubt they ever will. One can only imagine the kinds of panic and turmoil that might ensue should one like myself be exposed to this world's public eye. Besides, if people knew that boy's secret, would they accept him too?"

Eyes widened as they turned to Wrath, who also sat in shock that Ozzy had figured him out so quickly and with such ease. _Just who is this guy?_ He could only think as Ozzy continued on in his drone like tone and bored-as-hell expression. "Our government will be more reasonable on this matter than yours since it seems yours is still some ways behind ours. For that I don't blame you, but just leave this to those who know it better than you."

"Now wait a damn minute! Just who the hell do you think you are anyway? Bossin' us around like this? Tell me! Who are you really?" Izumi roared angrily as she got to her feet, giving Ozzy the evil eye, which didn't disturb him in the least. He sat quietly staring back at the woman as she glared at him viciously from where she stood on the far side of the room. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke.

"So you want to know do you? An odd question but easy to answer so I'll tell you Izumi-san: I'm a warrior of the best caliber, and I've been trained to hunt these things as if they were the only things left on earth that could be eaten should I catch it. My job is to hunt and kill whenever I need to or when I'm ordered to do so. I'm the beast in man's clothing to be sure."

She could only stare in amazement as he said this, calm and clearly as the wind over a valley. Of all the things for him to say, she hadn't expected that. He didn't give her time to respond. "My brother here is the same thing but yet the opposite: his job's to make sure that all are given proper medical treatment before doing any fighting of his own. Unlike me, he'd rather be on the sidelines than amidst all the action."

"Haha! You know me too well Brother." Evan said with a goofy smile. Ozzy only shrugged carelessly.

"Eh. It's a sibling thing."

Evan's expression became grim as he spoke again. "Anyway, I can't help but say that my brother has a point in this: telling your people about this threat would only cause panic and disruption of normality. That and other countries might take advantage of this problem as a means of attacking what they feel to be a weaker nation. But telling our people about the issue just might be the solution we need in order to keep this whole thing from getting a whole lot worse than it already is."

Before anyone could protest against this, Ozzy spoke up again, leaving no room for argument. "Right then. We'll head out in one hour once we know that things here are settled enough to do things themselves."

Or so he thought. "Whoa wait a minute! We're comin' with you!" Izumi exclaimed in defiance, giving the teen a miffed look. Ozzy just matched it with one of irritation.

"Absolutely not! Just myself and my brother will suit just fine."

"No you don't understand! I want to find my students!" she wouldn't let him win even if it took her all day to get her way.

Ozzy just scoffed. "You mean those two kids that got pulled into this mess? I'm sure they're fine by now but that's not the issue: if you follow us, you'll just end up being a target for the taking and that's something I can't have on my tail. Unless you got a better idea…"

"I have one hour don't I? I'll think of something, I assure you."

He narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything, turning away to leave the room silently leaving a misty trail behind. People couldn't help but wince when he slammed the door behind him. Evan just sighed but didn't say anything, watching people continue to work, all the while glancing over at Wrath and Izumi thoughtfully.

--**_With Ed_**—

He'd been waiting for what seemed like hours but according to the clock sitting on one of the living room tables, it'd only been at least forty-five minutes since the girl had kicked him out of the room where Mustang was still unconscious. Sleep had come easily but it didn't stay for long since he was now staring at the ceiling in his almost childish boredom. The warmth of the place was faint but it was enough to keep him from freezing his ass off or from becoming an Ed-sicle. _And I still have to find Al. Man I feel useless just sitting here doing nothing. Where are you Al?_

These thoughts whirled around in his head a bit longer before the click of a door caught his attention, making him sit up to see who it was. When he did, he could swear that his eyes were about to roll out of his head: it was Al, plain as day and right as rain, dressed in what he could only guess to be sleep wear. "Al?"

Ed's voice brought the smaller teen's sleepy gaze toward the familiar voice, his kind brown eyes widening in surprise to change to relieved happiness. "ED!"

It wasn't long before Ed found himself being hugged almost to death by his only sibling, nearly falling to the floor but only just managed to stay standing. Pushing back, Al looked the other up and down before saying with a giddy smile. "Brother it's really you!"

"Hey! You sayin' I'm someone else?" Ed demanded with indignation, giving his little brother a questioning look. Al just laughed at his sibling's reaction.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But I'm glad to see you! It's been so strange here!"

"Yeah tell me about it. I've been lookin' all _over_ for you! Have you been here the whole time?"

"Come to think of it… I don't really know. All I know is I met some masked man who said he'd get me some help but then I woke up here. I just got up again." Al said thoughtfully. Something in Ed's mind clicked as he spoke again.

"Masked man? What kind of mask?"

"It looked like a horse to me."

_Kazuo._ Ed didn't hesitate to keep the other boy talking. "And he brought you here?"

"I guess. But he said something about taking me to someone who could help me with my leg."

Ed looked shocked and naturally concerned. "Your leg? What happened?!"

"I don't know. When I woke up the first time, all I know is that it was bleeding pretty badly and I couldn't walk that well. Then I met the horse masked man and then I woke up here." Al said quickly hoping to calm his brother down. Ed, deciding that his brother's word was enough, let the subject be as he sat down again, shutting his eyes in the still remaining fatigue that filled his bones. Al's voice was quiet as he spoke. "Brother?"

He opened an eye to watch his brother sit down not far from him. "Hm?"

"How did you get here?"

Ed blinked at Al before he remembered. Al had told him his side of things. Now it was his turn to do the same. Thinking things over a little bit, Ed let out a tired sigh and promptly started at the beginning.

Heavens above this took me forever! I'm so sorry it took so long to get up for you guys but I've been real busy with my other fics and trying to get chapter 8 of my second Naruto fic out for you ninja fans out there. And man am I happy that I don't have any notes to worry about! I probably just jinxed myself but who cares? It doesn't surprise me anymore. So let's get down to business and see what's next:

Next chapter:

Chapter 7: Izumi Meets Her Match

While the Elric brothers reunite once again and Mustang's still out cold, it seems that Izumi's determined to find her former students before much else happens. But it seems that the only thing standing in her way is Ozzy's stubborn way of thinking. Can she make him see that she'll be more than a liability and more along the lines of an asset? And what'll happen when she and Ms. Marcy meet face to face? How will Scar and Riza react to the devious doubles and where in the hell does Wrath fit into all of this? Find out in the next 'Fullmetal Dimensions' installment:

_**Chapter 7: Izumi Meets Her Match!!!**_


	7. Chapter 7: Izumi Meets Her Match

And here we go again on the roller coaster everyone calls life! It only stops when death comes a knockin' so let's hop to it! Last chapter came out pretty well and hopefully, so will this one. For those who've been awesome enough to read this far all I can say is 'thanks and keep it up'. For those who don't… well who cares about them? It's their loss don't you think? As long as they don't flame me to death or somethin', I doubt what they're doin' with their time really matters that much. Anyway, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its content and what have you. Everything else I'm sure everyone knows is my crap. Enjoy!

"iii" speech

_iii_ thought

Chapter 7: Izumi Meets Her Match

Ed finally finished telling his brother, Al, about what'd happened since he'd been pulled against his will through the strange portal he'd come to know as the Black Gate or the Blue Maze (Chevy had told him all about it before he left the inn that morning). He could only watch as the younger teen processed all this new information, giving the door down the hall a worried glance. "Do you think that General Mustang's all right?"

"Eh. Knowing him, he's probably fine. But it's been an hour so it could be anything by now." Ed grumbled as he sat back, giving the ceiling one of his 'I could give a damn about him' kind of looks. Al just chuckled at his brother's antics.

The click of a door closing somewhere down the hall caught their attention, making the two turn to find the masked girl coming out of the shadows, the cat Al had left behind having just climbed up her clothes to sit on her shoulder. Her ice blue eyes looked the two boys over in silence before she promptly headed toward the kitchen, waving for them to follow her as she did. Curious and knowing better than to keep her waiting, the brothers got up to follow in time to see the cat make a daredevil leap from the girl's shoulder to the table.

Its mismatched eyes watched her as she pulled out a carton of half & half before going to one of the cabinets for a bowl. Leaving both on the table to search for something else, the cat mewled in protest, falling silent when the girl's ice blue eyes came whirling around on it as if daring it to question her authority. That cat didn't make a sound after that little escapade. Noticing that the two brothers were still standing in the doorway looking in on it all, the girl looked annoyed. Waving them in and pointing to the chairs, the girl turned away again to prepare what the two could only hope to be food.

Hesitantly sitting down in two of the chairs sitting empty in the quiet house, the brothers watched their hostess move silently around the room, the sound of food heating up being the only noise that filled the place. Ed was soon distracted by the cat's sudden fascination in his fake hand, sniffing and licking at the smooth metal index finger that sat perfectly still on the table's smooth surface.

As the cat continued to investigate Ed's fake limb, the two boys looked around the place in their natural curiosity. No pictures or photos adorned the walls, only random works of art done with an obviously delicate hand. The walls themselves had been painted a deep navy blue while the floors were all wood except for the kitchen and the restroom were both covered in tile. A pair of sinks, cabinets hanging from the walls and sitting on the floor, it seemed to be just an average kitchen able to service a small number of inhabitants. The cat, now frustrated that its target wasn't reacting like it wanted it too, meowed and hissed before leaping at the metal hand. Ed and Al could only stare at the small animal while it tried to bite down on the index finger of the fake limb. "What the-? Hey! Knock that off you!" Ed exclaimed loudly at the furry creature.

The girl's reaction was instantaneous, Ed's shout making her suddenly loom over the animal in such a sinister way to where it immediately shuffled to the middle of the table with its ears folded back. As if attempting to escape the girl's vicious glare, it covered its eyes with its front paws, not even daring to move even as the girl moved away to continue her task. A few minutes later, plates were set down with silverware as well, the girl seating herself at one of the remaining chairs to finally give the cat what'd wanted in the beginning. Pouring some of the cream into the bowl, the girl just watched as the cat quickly moved to lap it up.

Ed would've asked why the girl hadn't set up a plate for herself but considering that she had a mask on that covered all of her face, he left that subject alone. That and he was too hungry to care, giving Al an annoyed look when the boy joked about him being a living vacuum cleaner. If the girl found this amusing, she didn't show it as she put the carton of cream away before she started to clear the table close to an hour later. But she showed some kind of astonishment when Al insisted upon helping while they left Ed to deal with a sleepy but playful calico cat that'd flopped on its side on the tabletop.

The sky was getting dark outside even with the clouds to block a certain percent of that light in the first place. Vanishing for a few minutes, the girl reemerged from down the hall with towels in hand, handing both boys their own set before disappearing again to one of the spare rooms, waving for them to follow once she'd turned on the light. Curious in as to what she was doing, the two didn't even think of disobeying her.

Peeking into the room, their jaws almost fell off at the sight of it: books, notebooks and papers were strewn everywhere, accompanied by various sized boxes or book cases stuffed to the max with even more books or papers written in some kind of strange text. Since the door was right next to the bathroom and opposite where Al and mustang were now staying, it was understandable to find that there were not windows or openings other than a small air vent in the ceiling and a closet on the far side of the room, its door half open to show even more boxes and what looked to be old clothes.

Moving to the right of the doorway, the girl began to shove a large pile of books out over her way, being careful to take the ones on the top off and set them nearby. Upon moving a few more things out of her way, she shifted a few other things to reveal a folded up futon that looked good enough to sleep on. It didn't appear too old or too worn so it was still rather worth using for the night to come. Nodding for Ed to take one end, the girl started to drag the thing out of the room and into the hall. The teen soon complied after giving his towels to Al to hold as he moved to grab the opposite end of the thing.

Within a few minutes, the girl had signaled for Al to open the door to his room as she tried to maneuver the thing toward his doorway. He quickly complied before jumping out of the way as the two carried the large item to Al's room. Ed entered the room first with the girl and Al in the rear while the futon barely touched the floor between them until it was well into the room. The girl let out another click before setting her side down, Ed quickly but carefully doing the same. Setting the thing up didn't take all that long and the girl went to the room's closet to pull out a set of blankets and a pillow or two. Putting these down on the newly set up bed, the girl nodded at the two boys, turned away and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind herself. She didn't even make a sound as she went.

Not daring to question whatever the girl had in mind, Ed started to put his new bed together while Al volunteered to use the bathroom first. Both were quiet practically for the rest of the night.

--_**Meanwhile, At Marcy's Inn**_—

Gayle, Riza and Scar had gotten back before nightfall, the chill in the air getting stronger while the heater worked to keep the cold wind out of the building. Chevy was exactly where he'd been when they'd left sometime that morning, standing behind the bar and looking to be as calm as ever. "What'll it be?"

"Hey Chevy. I'll have a blue plate special and a good beer." Gayle grumbled as he collapsed into a chair, making the dog-masked teen chuckle while he wrote the order down on a small notepad he suddenly seemed to have.

"Riza-san?"

His speaking to her snapped the blond out of her thoughtful daze. "Hm? Oh I'll have a steak plate if you will."

"Want a drink with that?" he asked, sounding a bit amused at her far-off expression.

"An earl grey." She mumbled before falling silent again. Chevy nodded as he jotted it down.

"Gotcha. Scar-san? What'll you have?"

"Steak is fine." The man grunted, with a face that said 'just leave me alone already'. But Chevy wasn't one to let one be that easily.

"A drink perhaps?"

He had no choice but to answer. "An herbal tea if you have it."

"The weird tastin' stuff huh? Eh. It's your stomach. We'll find somethin'. You guys hang tight." He left the room using the door behind the counter so he could enter the noisy kitchen and call out something muffled by both his mask and the sounds beyond the door. It didn't take him long to come back, allowing him to return to the task of cleaning dusty drinking glasses. Something about the air seemed to disturb him though he didn't seem all that bothered when he finally spoke up again. "So somethin' happen out there?"

Gayle just shook his head, looking and sounding tired as he spoke. "We got ambushed. Mustang-san got hit and we had to take him to Wolf Sector."

If he didn't have a mask on, one could say that Chevy had paled at this new piece of news. "Wolf Sector?"

"Is that a problem? What's in this Wolf Sector?" Riza inquired, giving both men a questioning look.

Chevy shook his head as he said warily. "Only one of the strongest of the strong. I'm actually surprised she was there to receive you. She's usually off wandering elsewhere."

Gayle just waved the statement away. "Well obviously not. Edward and Mustang-san are there with her now. Of the other kid I've no idea. Kazuo had apparently been there so we can only guess if he's the one who found the kid first."

"We can only hope huh?" Chevy mused from over the counter, making Gayle nod in agreement.

"We can only hope my friend, we can only hope."

Silence fell over the room until a bell sounded off from behind the kitchen door, Chevy moving to open it as Ms. Marcy came into the room with a plate or two in hand and promptly made the dog-masked man jump out of her way. "Let's see: Blue Plate for the useless Water Dragon."

"I take offense to that." Gayle mumbled with a glowering expression but took the plate anyway. He was hungry after all.

"I bet you do. A steak plate for the Gunwoman sittin' over here. And another one for Mr. Oh-So-Serious sittin' at the end over here. I'll get your teas in a second but you Dragon Face are gonna have somethin' other than beer with your meal!"

"It's a bar! A bar's supposed to give its customers beer! It's supposed to help you forget your problems for cryin' out loud! And I really need somethin' to take my mind of things." he protested, giving her a disapproving glare but she just seemed to glare right back at him.

"And it's not gonna be beer! It'll be my fist if you try and talk your way out of it too." The older woman snapped as she raised said appendage for emphasis.

Gayle blanched considerably before nodding vigorously. This woman knew how to say something she meant, all without breaking a sweat. Satisfied with his reaction, the woman straightened with a grin. "Besides! I need you sober so I can have Chevy here come with me to look for my lazy ass nephews!"

Startled at this exclamation, Chevy quickly tried to talk the woman out of such thoughts. "Uh but Ms. Marcy! I told you! They're on mission in the other world! You can't--!"

"Like hell I can't! I'm goin' and I'm gonna drag your sorry ass with me if I have to! Now you gonna come or not?" she snapped angrily, glaring his way with her hands on her hips.

Seeing how fruitless the argument was, Chevy could only sigh and nod. "Fine, fine. We'll go. But only if you do as I tell should anything go wrong you got me?"

Ms. Marcy just chuckled at this statement. "Ha! Don't worry about me boy! I'll help ya give 'em the ol' one-two if it all comes to that."

"Uh-huh. I bet you will." He said under his breath, sweat dropping as the older woman just grinned his direction. As he left the room to collect his things, Chevy couldn't help but think. _I don't think this whole thing's gonna end very well. I'm __**bound**__ to be court marshaled if I even live through all of this._

--_**With Mustang**_—

He felt almost like he was floating, vaguely wondering why he couldn't feel any pain in his arm and why his vision was so blurred to where everything was almost misty and distorted. Blinking it away, he found himself staring at a plaster ceiling with faint sunlight shining in from a window he couldn't see just yet. Confused by this, the man shifted his head to look to his right and his dark eye soon found the said window, the light that'd been pouring in was quickly fading into that of night. Moving again with only small shots of pain in his neck, Mustang turned to look to see what was at his left. What he saw there made him freeze as if he were a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car, the driver barely noticing what stood in its path.

A girl, probably a year or so older than Ed, stood over him like a silent sentinel with a face that was empty of anything considerably human compared to other such faces he'd seen over the years. That is, if he could see her face through the strange mask she wore. Made of porcelain and a pale snow-white, the mask looked animalistic from where he lay still on the bed. And rightfully so since it was that of a bear, (Not the cute kind, mind you. The kind that lives out in the wild for those who're confused on this subject) smooth faced but looking ready to eat anything that moved before it could even try to escape its wrath. And her stare was enough to send chills down his spine.

Almost clear as glass but an icy blue, her eyes seemed to look right past his skin and bones until they saw what truly lay beneath, nothing inside being able to hide from such a powerful gaze. Her hair was a dark brown and fell across parts of her mask and her shoulders like vines, her clothing was all a deep blue to where she, except for her mask, seemed to blend into the wall behind her. Ignoring his shocked stare, the girl checked his pulse while looking at a watch that'd suddenly come to hand before she went to one of the bedside tables where a first aid kit sat ready to use.

Pulling a few things out of the box, the girl came back his way and started messing with something he hadn't noticed he had before: a bandage covering most of his arm and his chest and a red blotch that stained the pristine white that hid his skin from view. Having carefully removed said bandage, Mustang's single eye nearly popped out of his head at what he saw: nearly all of the wound was gone, some of it still bleeding but not enough to make him pass out from the loss. His mouth worked but no sound came out to voice his questions and even if he did speak, the girl just seemed to ignore this.

Getting out a fresh roll of bandages and some kind of container of a strangely colored gel like substance, the girl opened the container and dipped her two first fingers in before pulling them out again to wipe the excess gel off on the sides. As if like a living ghost that'd gained flesh, the girl gently applied the substance to the wound, spreading it evenly over the red blotch that stretched across Mustang's pale skin. Having completed this task, the girl began to put a new set of bandages in place to keep the stuff from smearing everywhere or the wound from bleeding more should it open up again.

With that done, the girl shut the first aid kit and turned to something else before straightening again. Mustang was puzzled in as to why she had an extra pillow in hand until he spotted a plate under a bowl of soup on the nightstand. _Well that explains something._ He thought as the girl came closer and helped him sit up, careful not to touch his shoulder or anywhere else unnecessarily. That done, the girl put the extra pillow in place and went to retrieve the plate, perfectly balancing it in one hand as she brought a tray to hand with the other.

Setting the tray down on the bed so as to stand over his legs, the girl put the plate down on top of the food tray before him. Without a word or any indication of acknowledgment in his direction, the girl turned away silently and left, the soft click of the door being the only noise she ever made. Seeing no choice in the matter, Mustang looked down at his food before picking up the spoon that came with it and began to eat.

--_**At Central**_—

Izumi felt completely at a loss as she stared out toward the wrecked city, watching soldiers run to and fro so as to reach those who were confused or injured from the battle almost a half hour before. Wrath wasn't very far off, staring around him curiously at all the people and things that surrounded him as he sat with his mother by the window. The older woman couldn't help but scowl in irritation at Ozzy's words.

_Who the hell does he think he is? My keeper? I can take care of myself! What the hell is it about him that's… that's… that's so much like Ed's way of things? Why is that? Is he really a reincarnate of my student? Or is he…?_ She didn't get to think about it further as the object of her irritation came into view, marching almost angrily across the courtyard toward the city streets, seeming to yell something at some of the soldiers around him as he went. Cold eyes, almost blank expression, dark short hair not long enough to be put in a tail, standing tall and firm with an air of determination and confidence. Something she'd seen Ed pull off once or twice. _Just who is he really?_ Izumi pondered as she turned away from the window and focused her attention on the teen's opposite who was still in the room, completely oblivious to the gaze that fell on him.

Evan was indeed too busy helping a few soldiers resort papers and files to notice that Izumi was staring at him from across the room. After a while he got up and walked over, still seeming to be unaware of the older woman's gaze on him as he came closer. The teen knelt down with a smile in front of Wrath, who was staring back in curiosity as Evan spoke first. "Hey there. I think it's about time I got a better look at you."

The boy said nothing, looking uncertain but nodded anyway, making Evan's kind smile widen a bit. "Okay then! Why don't we go some place less crowded then?"

Wrath suddenly looked fearful, backing away in his seat while Evan just chuckled at the boy's reaction. "Calm down! I'm not the enemy here! You can bring someone with you if that makes you more comfortable."

The boy's only reaction to this was to grab onto Izumi's arm, making the older woman blink at him but then soften her gaze. They didn't notice the look of confusion flashing across Evan's face as he stood back up again, putting the smile back on his face instead. "Right then! You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Wrath said in a soft voice as he got to his feet, pulling on Izumi's arm a little to where she got up as well. Evan didn't argue as he led the two out of the room and toward the part of the building he'd learned sometime before was the infirmary. Finding a room that wasn't occupied, the teen held the door open for them before shutting the door behind himself.

"Okay! Let's get started. Why don't you get up onto that bed over there? I'll only be a second." He said cheerfully, pulling over one of the carts and opening his bag while the longhaired boy moved to obey. Sitting down on one of the doctor's stools, Evan left his bag alone to focus his attention on the young boy sitting nervously on the hospital bed only a number of inches away from him.

Evan's smile was just as bright and cheerful as before. "Right then. Let's start with some basic questions: what exactly is your name?"

The boy could only blink in confusion since the inquiry was so strange to him. In all technicalities, he had no name but just the weird title the other homunculi had given him upon their discovering him. So, his only answer happened to be:

"Wrath. I'm called Wrath."

Evan took his turn to blink but just smirked as if in a knowing manner, deciding not to go further into the subject. "Wrath huh? Strange response but a fairly acceptable one if I may say so at this point in time. All right then Wrath, do you have a medical history of any kind that I can take a look at right now?"

"No." the boy said softly, turning his gaze to the floor.

Evan rubbed his chin in thought, giving the boy a wistful look. "Hm. I see. This could be a problem but since this whole thing's basic we'll just let it alone for the moment. Do you have any family members that we can contact or inform about where you are at this time?"

"He's my son. That's all you need to know." Izumi growled, making the teen straighten and blink before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I-I see. Well then Wrath-kun, I will then proceed." He stammered, giving the older woman wary glances. Then, for what seemed like no reason, Evan shut his eyes even though he was still facing the boy sitting on the edge of the bed. But within seconds, they were open again, the teen's iris suddenly cat-like, the pupil's golden hints having almost overtaken the green as Wrath could only sit frozen under the gaze of such extraordinary eyes.

Izumi nearly rose from her seat in shock. Never had she seen such a thing in her life but now she was starting to wonder if there was more to this teen than met the eye as he ignored her reaction. Wrath was just as stunned but felt like he was being held in place by the eyes that looked so much like his when he ate the red stones provided by the now possibly deceased scientist from Laboratory 5. But this sort of phenomenon? This was beyond anything he'd seen before.

Evan's musing voice brought the two out of their thoughts. "Interesting. His cells are somewhat that of a human's, only they're built a little differently to where there doesn't seem to be any kind of particular aging process. Though it's possible this aging only occurs in short spurts to where he probably won't notice until the changes are apparent."

A bit shocked but more along the lines of worried, Izumi was quick to voice her concerns. "Will… will this hinder him?"

Evan shook his head, his eyes having returned to their original appearance. "No, not that I can see. But…."

"But?" she inquired, her normally emotionless face marred by her curiosity as he beckoned her to follow him into the hallway. Concerned, the woman was quick in following him, leaving Wrath to sit by himself on the bed.

Now outside the room but still giving the child inside curious glances, Evan continued in a slight whisper. "It could be nothing but… his spirit flow seems kinda… peculiar to me."

"How so? Is it bad?" Izumi had to ask, not exactly sure why she was keeping her voice low like his but was too concerned about what he'd say next to worry about it.

Evan shook his head again, rubbing his chin a bit as if still thoughtful. "I don't think so, at least, probably not at the moment. This form seems to sustain the flow quite well and seems fit like a glove. What I might be seeing here is the result of how both this boy's form and spirit form were being influenced by the same event in the same time frame. This kind of exposure has led to his current appearance and it seems that reversal is downright impossible."

Izumi blinked in astonishment. Her brain was just as surprised. _Does he truly mean that?_ "Reversal? You can do that?"

The teen nodded in response but his face only showed how truly serious he was on the matter. "Had I known about this boy years ago then, yes it would be possible? But the change in him, though strange, is too permanent, too dead-set on keeping him in this form. I can't say for sure what can be done but we have to understand that even though he may be older than he appears, his mentality should go beyond that of the age group he appears to fit in."

"What do you mean? Teach him to be an adult?" she asked, a bit skeptical.

Evan could only shrug at this. "Or at least give him an idea of what it's like being one so that when and if he should reach the 'adult' stage of his growth, he'll know enough about it to react in a calm and understanding manner. This should happen only at a certain point in child growth but since Wrath-kun here is extremely different from other children, it's quite literally impossible to know when he'll truly grow into his adult form. Should something like that even be possible for one such as this."

"Is there anything you can do?"

The teen shook his head in defeat. "Not that I know of. I'll have to talk to my superiors once I reach home and let them in on your son's odd condition. But I think I'm more worried about you and your own condition Izumi-san."

Izumi blinked in confusion. "My condition?"

He nodded, both his face and voice were grave. "As a medical officer, I'm inclined to quite literally, 'seek out' my own patients and even alert them and maybe others of their conditions even if they're somewhat aware of what's wrong with them or their comrades in question."

"And you think that you can help me?" she inquired, a bit skeptical about what the teen was telling her.

"Yes. Your condition is treatable in my world and upon notifying my superiors, both you and your son will be put under my care and observation until you either improve or, due to certain possible events, you're dropped or given another caretaker should I be transferred elsewhere."

Izumi looked at the floor thoughtfully, thinking the teen's words over. "I see…. But I have one more question."

"What is it?" he inquired, politely focusing his attention on her.

"Can you change him into a human?"

Needless to say, Evan was shocked at the question. His mouth worked a bit, as if trying to speak but couldn't get the words to come out to voice any opinion he had. He'd heard some strange questions asked of him before but this? This was completely beyond him on practically every level.

It took him a few moments before he was able to talk again but even then he had some trouble finding the right words. "Izumi-san! That's--! That's impossible even for me to perform! Much less know where to begin! He… he can't be changed. Not when the change in him, as strange as it is, is too constant in his physiology. Had I met him years earlier yes, there could've been something I could've done to ensure his truly human form but… he's been like this too long."

She remained silent, her pale face devoid of any emotion that could possibly tell him what she was thinking. But he dared not divulge into such a thing as he went on with the one sentence he always hated:

"I'm sorry… but there's nothing I can do to help him with that."

--_**With Gayle**_—

_Today's just not my day._ He thought in misery as he watched Ms. Marcy almost literally drag a reluctant Chevy after her down the empty city streets. It was one thing she'd demanded that the dog masked teen go with her, but it was something else that not only had she left, but had left him in charge of maybe twenty children each of their own different age group as well as two very uptight adults who looked like they wanted to kill something should it even breathe.

Not that he was worried. _Oh yeah! No pressure! The world's not gonna end. We guarantee it!_ Gayle thought sarcastically to himself. He didn't know just who he should worry about the most: Scar or Hawkeye. The tall man didn't seem all that threatening at the moment but the dragon masked teen knew that Riza and her trusty gun was bound to be trouble. Not only for him, but maybe the kids as well. From what he could tell, this was more than just babysitting a bunch of little tikes barely able to read books higher than grade 3: this felt all too much like being in charge of parole.

Scar was the first to speak as he nervously glanced at the many little ones coloring at the many tables. "Just who are these children and why are they here?"

"Well for one thing, this place doubles as a daycare center for various adults who need someone to watch their kids while off on the job. That and only a small number of these kids are orphans so this places also doubles as an orphanage until they can be transferred to a safer area."

The stoic man actually blinked in surprise. "Orphans?"

Gayle nodded, unfazed by the man's reaction. "You'd be surprised. I was orphaned at ten years old so I know what it's like. Had to live with my brother and my little sister for a long time, mainly since my mom went due to a disease and my dad never did come back from one of the main battles. I don't know about Chevy's family but I think he was raised around humans and probably grew up thinking he was one. Or at least, that's my theory anyway."

"What about the other two that came to our world?" Hawkeye inquired, her curiosity having now been perked.

Scar raised an eyebrow at her, surprised as well as rightfully confused. "There are two others in our world?"

Gayle just waved the man's question away. "You'll probably meet them soon enough Scar-san. That and their family's really complicated, if there's anyone left to act as family. But I can tell you one thing: Ms. Marcy? The old bat who runs this place? She's their--."

--_**In Central**_—

Ozzy twitched, instantly sitting up as a chill traveled up and down his spine like something had been shoved down the back of his shirt. And obviously, it was something unpleasant in just every sense of the word. He'd been sitting high up, overlooking everything as much as his sharp eyes would allow but now, his focus was now towards the west as the hairs on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end. It didn't take him long to refocus everything he had in that particular direction, the proper words going through his head like a command. _Spirit Art…Shadow Pulse Level 1 activated._

Silvery lines that turned out to be his veins became visible against his suddenly night colored skin, his eyes doing the same (see the end of chapter 5 for a better reference). Looking directly past all the buildings and the citizens going on about their daily business, Ozzy quickly found the one old apartment complex that had the gate practically shoved into its basement. Within second, two figures became clear as they calmly walked up the stairs, through the old rooms and into the streets. Once in the daylight, their faces became crystal clear. Eyes widening as if in shock, the teen was quick to deactivate his technique as he attempted to keep his balance. Everyone hated falling ten stories to the ground as the next guy.

Turning away from the west and towards the east, Ozzy stared stoically at the large white building on the other side of the city. Making a split second decision, the teen grit his teeth before taking to the air with only one thought coming to mind. Ah fuck.

A dog masked teen looked up at the clear blue skies, instantly spotting a bird that was larger than any natural creature of the skies. If it had a string attached to it you could easily say it was a big ass kite but it was moving too well on its own to be something like that. Not even blinking at the sight, the teen spoke through his mask at his older counterpart. "Operative spotted ma'am. Intend to pursue?"

"Anything on the radio?" the older woman next to him demanded with a growl in her voice to show her annoyance.

The teen shook his head. "Not yet ma'am. Maybe he's just hooking it up."

A vein pulsed into sight on the woman's forehead as she tried to keep her temper in check. "Damn him for making me wait!"

"At least he knows we're here." the teen mumbled, his silver grey eyes moving to the side and away from the angry woman next to him.

"True but it still pisses me off alright?" she snapped angrily, glaring at the masked teen with practically everything she had.

"Understood." The teen said in defeat, shifting in place as if itching to run from her anger.

He was saved by his radio crackling to life as a voice snapped at them. "What the hell you guys doin' here?! This place is under quarantine dammit!"

The masked teen could only speak in a sheepish voice in response. "Sorry dude but she insisted so… here we are. You gonna show us the way or what?"

Silence followed, broken only by the occasional static causing wind. "…. I oughtta drop rocks on both your heads for this. We have everything under control! We were goin' to--."

Ms. Marcy didn't hesitate to grab the radio from the teen's hand and practically screeching into the receiver. "Goin' to what? Make me wait another week? You boys were supposed to come home three days ago but what do you do? You go ahead and take on another mission! And without telling me first! Now lead the way or I'll shoot your ass outta the damn sky!"

"Ms. Marcy that's enough! And give me that!" Chevy said in exasperation, grabbing the radio from her, making sure the woman hadn't damaged the thing.

"I'm getting too old for this." The woman grumbled as she stood by in a huff, sharp eyes glaring at the circling thing some distance away.

Sighing to calm himself, Chevy spoke into the receiver again. "So you gonna do your part or not?"

"…. Fine. Just change out first. People don't dress like we do. Can't have you guys stickin' out like sore thumbs." Ozzy's voice grumbled in annoyance before going silent again.

"Roger that." Chevy didn't hesitate to shut the little device off before stuffing it into his bag.

"Well?" the woman snapped, already tired of waiting.

"Change first, then we go." He said simply, not even bothering to say much else.

Ms. Marcy actually had the decency to blink in surprise before scowling. "It's that different here? Dammit all to hell."

"Not now please." His tone was enough to stop her tirade, making her roll her eyes at his antics, turning to glare at one of the buildings across the street.

"Fine, fine. Just give me a sec will ya? Sheesh." She grumbled under her breath before her eyes became eerily distant. Within seconds her clothes had changed, her v-neck shirt having changed one with a higher collar and longer sleeves, her pants having slimmed a bit to be a more dressier style but still act as the kind of clothes as someone always on the go. Ironically her shoes made no such change at all.

Chevy, on the other hand, barely changed much at all. That is if suddenly donning a scarf to cover the lower half of his mask and a hat probably meant for a fisher with a brim big enough to hide the other with an ankle length trench coat made of a chocolate brown material counted as 'barely'. Ms. Marcy raised an eyebrow at the teen as he stood quite nonchalantly in his new garb in broad daylight when nearly everything about it screamed 'look at me! I'm suspicious!'

"Can you breathe from under all that?" she inquired as she began to sweat drop at the teen's shady appearance.

His voice was a little more muffled than before due to both his mask and his new scarf blocking the sound of his voice. "Yeah. Why? Something wrong?"

"Don't you think that's overdoing it?" the older woman had to ask, wondering if the boy's brain was working at all.

Seeming to blink from under his mask and the shadow of the hat, Chevy looked himself up and down before looking back at her. "No."

Apparently not it would seem.

"You could take the mask off ya know…." She half mused at him.

Chevy instantly bristled with indignation, annoyance, and from what she could tell, nervousness. "Uh no. I don't think so."

Ms. Marcy decided to just shrug it off, knowing she couldn't convince him otherwise even if she could. "Alright. If that's how you wanna be lookin' when we finally reach the crowded areas of this damn city."

"It's cold out here. It makes sense to wear this much!" he snapped at her, truly defensive now.

She was struggling not to laugh at his antics. "If you say so."

"You bet I do!" he growled from behind her as they began to head towards the east, where Ozzy was still circling above them.

Ms. Marcy could only smirk as she hid a grin from the teen. "Not arguin' with that."

"What about you Ms. 'I'm So Tough'? Shouldn't you have some gear on? It's freezing out here!" he snapped again at her, proving that he was on edge of losing his own cool.

The only response he got from her was an amused chuckle and the flash of a mischievous grin as they passed between the buildings to more populated streets.

--_**With Izumi**_—

She couldn't help but feel numb all over. Just when she thought there was a chance to turn back time and fix the forbidden thing she'd done to her own son, it was just an illusion that didn't even exist in the first place. Evan had left some time before, having informed both of them that they were free to go unless he called on them. Also if it was the reverse as well. But Izumi wasn't listening to anything around her anymore. Not with the most recent piece of knowledge echoing in her head like a curse or an unsolvable puzzle. And it was tearing her apart. She would've stayed in this state of mind if not for the sudden yelling from the office she'd been in only an hour before.

"DAMN OLD WITCH! What the hell are you here for?! Are you tryin' to get us court martialed? If you know any better, you'd go home right now!" Came Ozzy's easily recognized voice, his tone soaked with rage at someone Izumi had yet to meet. If someone could anger him in this manner, she knew that they were likely someone he didn't get along with.

Just as she got to the door in the hopes of entering, a new voice bit back at the teen's fury-filled statement. "Absolutely not! You dumb asses didn't come home right after your last mission and now I'm just finding out you're already on a new one? I'll be damned if you two do something stupid!"

This only made Ozzy even more furious than before, as proven not only by his voice, but also his twisted face as Izumi finally entered in order to observe the event unfolding. "She says oh so calmly to my face! Why don't you just be the 'harmless civilian' that you are and just stay home?! Might actually have us worrying less about where you are and why!"

The older woman, probably as old as herself, went red in the face, her smooth brown hair seeming to stand on end a bit in her fury, sharp hazel eyes ablaze with almost uncontrolled rage. "UNGRATEFUL LITTLE--!"

_**WHACK!**_

_**THUD!**_

And thus Ozzy was sent to the floor with a new red mark on his face, nearly breaking a chair and denting the wall behind it. He would've said something in his defense if not for the fact that a heavily dressed dog-masked teen jumped between the two.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Both of you! I didn't act as escort just to break up a inner-family feud!" he snapped in a slight slurred voice, even though his frustration made him sound fairly sober. And he sounded perfectly serious too.

Evan moved from his spot in the room, cautiously stepping around the older woman to assist his twin sibling to his feet again. Ozzy, though still appearing enraged, said nothing to either his brother or the woman as he steadily rose from where he'd fallen to the floor. If anything, the glare he gave the lady should've been enough to say that he was still angry with her, but seemed to hold his tongue. Evan didn't dare say a word, almost as if he were afraid the woman would turn on him too. That is, if he wasn't uneasily glancing at both the woman and his brother. A telltale sign that the two were prone to arguing more often then not.

After a moment or two of silence, the dog-masked teen spoke again, this time at the woman. "I trust you're done beating my fellow officer to death?"

_Officer? What does he--?_ Izumi thought before the woman's angry voice cut her off in a way she didn't know was possible.

"I have every right to do as I please when it comes to discipline! He needs to learn not to get smart with me as he does." The woman growled at him, even though he didn't seem to budge at all at her tone or at the look on her face.

"She says as if I'm not here." Ozzy grumbled under his breath as he rubbed where she'd hit him.

"I heard that brat!" the woman snapped, her glare sharp enough to cut air.

"Kinda not hard to SINCE I'M RIGHT FUCKING HERE!" Ozzy roared angrily at her, his rage seeming to fill the room as he seemed to tower over the older woman.

Again, the dog-masked teen was forced to intervene, nearly every possibly slur in his voice having vanished in his own impending anger. "AND I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU! Ms. Marcy, we didn't come here to start fights. We came to get answers and that's all. Nothing more than that, and certainly nothing less. Now if you start this whole thing ONE MORE TIME, I'll have no choice but to drag you home and put you under house arrest. Am I clear?"

"You wouldn't da--!"

"AM I CLEAR Ms. Marcy?" his voice was so stern and commanding, even what few officers in the room seemed to shiver in wonder and fear at the oddly thunderous voice that echoed throughout the room.

The woman couldn't help but blink at the teen, who only stared back with a force she seemed very unfamiliar with. Seeing no point in arguing with him, the woman now named 'Ms. Marcy' just sighed and nodded, her anger having suddenly dissipated. Ozzy seemed to relax as well, but only enough to look slightly irritated.

Within seconds of this, the dog-masked teen regained his oddly drunken composure, the slight slur in his voice coming back as he began to converse with the twins in a language that Izumi couldn't understand.

Though it wasn't until the new teen noticed her that his words started to make sense once again. "Well, well! Who's this? Don't think I've seen you before."

Evan was quick to spot her as well, his face coming to glow with glee and patent recognition. "Oh! That's Izumi-san! She's here because she wanted to see Ed and Alphonse-san but I guess she knows how they went missing."

If they could see his face, the masked teen most likely had a raised eyebrow in inquiry. "Does she now? And what's your connection to those two exactly, Izumi-san?"

Izumi steeled her face, giving him a cold look in response. "They're my students. I was hoping to see them since they haven't had a chance to visit me in maybe… three to four years."

Unaffected by her expression, the teen spoke calmly. "Four years? That's a long time! Even for one's as young as them? That's a big difference. Must be hard on you."

"No. I trust those boys with what I've taught them. One can only hope they use such knowledge more than much else." She growled, thinking of how stubborn Ed had always been no matter what was happening around him.

The teen nodded, actually appearing thoughtful. "Hm. One can never be so sure when it comes to things like that."

"If only these two would just listen to me more often. Maybe then they wouldn't get into so many snits with the people they fight!" the woman suddenly snapped again, making her presence known even though her tone seemed mockingly playful.

"Auntie, we're right here!" Evan protested, actually pouting childishly.

"I know!" came the simple response, her tone playful.

But Evan seemed to be taking her seriously while Ozzy just rolled his eyes at their bickering. "Auntie! Don't be mean!"

"Oh hush you! You both know what I mean." The woman scolded in the same tone as before, not even bothering to hide the knowing smirk on her face.

"Damn witch." Ozzy grumbled his breath, his words seeming to carry themselves across the room despite his hushed tone of voice.

"I heard that!" the woman snapped, though no anger was in her voice. It wasn't long before the two were bickering again.

Evan took his turn to roll his eyes, sending Izumi a kind smile as he spoke. "Well it seems that intros are in order. Izumi-san, this is our commanding officer, Colonel Chevy O'Brien and our aunt, Loni Marcy."

Mercy on me! I know that it's been a bit too long since I last posted, but I can honestly assure you guys that I'm workin' on the next chapter as fast as I can! One can only hope that you like what I've put up so far. Anyway, I should get on to other things that I need to get to. Thankfully, no notes! Yay! One less issue for me to deal with today and hopefully not tomorrow. But for now, it's time for what's to come!

Next chapter:

Chapter 8: The Lioness & The Dog

Ms. Marcy and Chevy have made their appearance, but at what cost? Are Izumi and Loni truly two of a kind? And is the silent girl housing Ed, Al and Roy the almighty General that Gayle spoke so cautiously of? Or is she someone completely different? Can Gayle deal with two cynics and a herd of small children? Find out when I prove I'm not dead in my next installation of 'Fullmetal Dimensions':

_**Chapter 8: The Lioness & The Dog!!**_


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